Title: Family Matters
Author: Kristen Fife
Summary: DarkNN, followup to "These Three". Nick and Natalie are reunited,
they work on integrating their families and their lives together, and plan
for eternity.

Part 1

Natalie watched Nick fuss at his appearance in the mirror in amusement. He
had changed his shirt three times, and it had taken him half an hour to
narrow his slacks down to the dark gray ones he had put on. She had laughed
at him when he asked her what Nikki's favorite color was, and then frowned
when she had told him.



"Pink? I don't have anything pink. What about green? Or blue? Black is too
somber."



"Nick, she's FIVE. She doesn't care what you're wearing."



"Nat, I'm meeting my future daughter for the first time, and I want her to
memories of this to be positive when she grows older." His wounded pride had
caused Natalie to start coughing in an effort to cover her laughter.



Finally, after he had tried on all the shirts he had brought, he had asked
Janette if there was somewhere open late that he could find something more
appropriate. She had smiled and suggested a place called "Spartacus".
Natalie had burst out laughing, finally. He cast a wounded look at her, and
when she managed to control herself, she mentioned that perhaps the green
shirt would appeal to Nikki. She wasn't ready to tell him that Spartacus was
an adult fetish store.



So, with the sun almost set, Nick was finally dressed in a forest green silk
shirt and gray slacks. He had let Natalie trim his hair, and he paced
nervously.



For her part, Natalie had asked Janette to go to her house the previous
night after Nikki had finally fallen asleep to get some clothes for her.
Janette had brought back half her wardrobe. She was wearing a pale pink
sweater and jeans. She was hoping the pink sweater would give her just a bit
of color, since she now had the pale skin of the vampire. Some advice on
makeup from Janette had helped. She was still paler than she had been as a
mortal, but she didn't look quite so.dead. She had finished two bottles of
blood, hoping it would help her deal with the bloodlust the elder vampires
told her would ensue, even with her daughter. She was nervous about THAT.



Finally Nick came over to her and knelt in front of her chair, taking her
hand and bringing it to her lips.



"You'll be fine. I'll be right with you, and between us we'll keep you under
control. Have you thought about what you're going to tell her?"



Natalie shook her head. "I don't know. She's too young to understand about
us. Although, she does like the little cartoon Bunnicula and the Count on
Sesame Street." She grinned as Nick rolled his eyes. She sighed. "One thing
at a time. I'm glad Arthur said he'd stay with her since LaCroix seems to be
starting to get overwhelmed." The ancient vampire had called several times
in the course of the day, trying to deal with Natalie's precocious and
active daughter.



Nick glanced at his watch. "They should be here in a few minutes. Do you
want to meet them in the living room?" Natalie nodded and got up.



Part 2



They went out to the living room, and both of them turned toward the door
from the club downstairs, hearing the beating of a child's heart and Janette
and LaCroix talking as they walked up the steps. Natalie could feel the
vampire inside of her start to stir and she looked anxiously at Nick. He
felt her stirring, and reaching out across their link he gentled the vampire
in her. His own experience over the centuries made it simple for him to
quell the beast.



Just then the door opened, and Nikki came racing in. She had long dark
curls, the only difference between her and Natalie, with her miniature
version of her mother's face. Her hair was almost black, to Nat's auburn.
Natalie knelt down as Nikki ran toward her.



"Momma! You should see what Grandpa Lucius can do.he can FLY!!!" She giggled
as her arms closed around Natalie's neck.



Natalie closed her eyes, trying to ignore the smell and sound of Nikki's
rich blood pumping through her veins. She felt Nick, Janette and LaCroix all
reinforcing her.



Hugging her daughter to her, she stood up. Nikki snuggled up to her and her
legs straddled Natalie's torso. Her hand came up to Natalie's cheek.



"Mommy, you're cold."



"I know Sweetie. Remember I told you I was sick? Well, part of the cure for
me means I'm going to feel cold. It's ok." She kissed Nikki's warm cheek,
then put her down and turned her to face the other adults. "Now, I think it'
s time for you to meet Nick."



Nick was sitting down on the sofa, and he smiled at Nikki. Nikki turned her
face up to her mother, a big grin in place. She looked back at Nick and
slowly walked toward him. He held out his hand to her. She took it and he
shook it gently. "Hello, Nikki. I'm Nick." He patted the sofa next to him
and she hopped up to sit there.



"I know you. You're in the picture with Momma at the park." She smiled
impishly at him and he smiled back. "Can I call you Daddy? Are you really
going to marry Mommy?"



Nick smiled and nodded. "Yes, to both questions. And I understand you want a
yellow dress just like Belle's?" She nodded. "Well, I was thinking we could
go shopping tomorrow night. Would you like that?" She nodded
enthusiastically and all the adults laughed.



Part 3

Natalie smiled. "Nikki, have you met your Aunt Janette yet?" Nikki looked at
her mother and nodded her head.



"Grandpa Lucius 'duced us." She turned to Janette. "Are you Daddy's sister?"



Remembering their one-time relationship, Janette nodded. "Yes, little one.
May I go shopping with you? I LOVE looking at pretty dresses." She smiled
and Nikki nodded. "Would you like to see a movie? I went and got some very
special movies just for you, including a copy of 'Beauty and the Beast',
which you may keep here for when you come and visit."



Nikki hopped off the sofa and went over to Janette, who held her hand out.
She turned to look at Natalie for permission.



"Go ahead Sweetie. I told Aunt Janette which movies you like. I think she
might ALSO have some chocolate chip cookies. You may have two, if you ask
nicely."



Nikki turned to look at the tall vampire and grabbed her hand. "Aunt
Janette, may I PLEASE have cookies?"



Janette laughed and bent down to pick the little girl up. "Yes, you may."
They walked out of the room, and the other adults could hear Janette asking
Nikki about her favorite clothes.



After they left, Natalie closed her eyes. She was shaking with the effort to
keep her blood lust in check. Nick got up and went over to her, enfolding
her in a loving embrace and kissing her forehead. "It's OK Nat. You did
great."



LaCroix had left to go get her some blood, which he brought back and handed
to her. "Thanks, LaCroix." She took the highball glass and drank half the
contents in two gulps. She felt the blood lust start to die down as she
slowly sipped at the rest of the glass.



The three vampires all sat down, Nick with his arm protectively around
Natalie's shoulders.



Part 4



"LaCroix, thank you so much for watching Nikki. I know she's a handful. I
called her school and told them that we had both come down with a nasty bug,
and that the doctor thought it was better if she didn't interact with other
kids for at least a week."



"You are most welcome. She is quite inquisitive. I had no idea there were so
many children's games available." He shook his head, a small smile tugging
at his lips. "I must say that in general I find her quite charming."



Natalie smiled. "She is quite the little charmer. However, you did not come
here to play nursemaid to my daughter. Arthur has offered to come and stay
with her while I'm holed up here with Nick.  You are welcome to stay at my
place, of course, but I don't want you to feel obligated. Also, I didn't
know how long you were planning on staying?"



LaCroix mused on the question. "I had not really made any set plans. I was
just in the process of wrapping up my affairs in Venice when you called. I
was getting ready to move on.  I had been thinking of returning to Paris,
but perhaps a stint in the States would prove more interesting. And,
although this small town is charming, I was thinking about the advice I have
received from several people. Gwyn has been thinking of leaving Seattle, and
Vassili and I have been discussing some interesting business ventures. So,
Nicholas, would you be opposed to me living in Seattle?" He arched his brow
at his son.



"Not at all. In fact, I think it would be nice to have you nearby. Nat and I
have talked about it, and I also wanted to ask if you would be the best man
at our wedding? It will probably take us two or three months to get
everything planned, but that should give you plenty of time to get settled."



"Why Nicholas, I would be honored to attend you at your nuptials." He stood,
as did the other two. "I think I will go make a few phone calls to set some
plans in motion. If you will excuse me." He turned and left to go find some
privacy to order his affairs.



Nick turned to Natalie. "I was thinking that Janette and I could take Nikki
shopping tomorrow night, are you ok with that? I don't think you're quite
ready for crowds yet, though."



"Oh, no kidding! Nick, there's no way I'm ready to go home, or back to work!
But Nikki and I have never been separated this long." Red tears formed in
her eyes. "How am I going to live like this?" Frustration edged her voice.



Part 5



Nick hugged her close, laying his forehead against hers. "Shhhh. It's OK. I'
ve been giving it some thought, and I think I have a compromise. First of
all, we need to find someone to help out during the day. And since you
cannot really live at home until you learn control, if you were there from
sunset until we could tuck her into bed, that would give you almost the same
amount of time with her as you have now, yes?" She nodded. "Well, then I
guess we need to find a mortal nanny we can trust, preferably a live-in. Do
you have enough room at your place for that?"



Frowning, Natalie thought. Her house was fairly modest. The basement did
have a bedroom and full bathroom, but that wasn't the optimum. "I could
swing it for a while, but I guess we're probably going to need a bigger
place. My house has LOTS of windows. I've lived there since just after Nikki
was born." She looked at him. "Just so you know, I kept the loft, and I've
been renting it out the last five years. I just couldn't sell it."



Nick smiled. "You know, I'm actually happy to hear that. Why don't we see if
Janette can recommend a real estate agent and we can start looking for
something bigger. Do you think there's something in your area bigger?"



Natalie laughed. "Oh, I'm sure. I have one of the smallest houses. But Nick,
maybe we should move. I mean, my neighbors are going to think it's really
weird for me to suddenly have a nanny as well as you moving in. Not to
mention switching my hours all around."



"Well, I just thought you were happy there. We can do whatever you want. Do
you want to stay in Portland?"



She nodded. "I know we'll have to move on in a few more years, but I'd
really like to stay for Nikki's sake. We can move when she starts middle
school. I've been toying with the idea of moving back to Canada anyway.
Nikki would have dual citizenship that way. I'd really like her to stay in
one place during her teen years. I've had a few offers for jobs other than
OHSU, so maybe now is a good time for a change."



Nick nodded. "OK. That's a decent plan, and should be workable. You DO know
that you don't have to work, or else we can set up a private research
facility for you? The Foundation has a working branch devoted to scientific
research, and we have facilities all over the world. The only one in the
States is in Texas. I can't see any reason not to spread out." He grinned at
the startled look on her face.



"You know, that might be a great way to go. I've made some REALLY important
strides forward with my research on AIDS, and Arthur has really strong ties
to local government organizations. I'd forgotten what it's like to consort
with the well-to-do." She flashed a sly grin at him. "You know, maybe you'd
better get a pre-nup before we tie the knot."



Part 6



He laughed. "My Love, anything that I have is yours for the asking. I
consider YOU the greatest treasure on the planet." He leaned down and kissed
her passionately. She responded in kind, and a few minutes later Janette
came in to the room.



"Goodness you two! I could feel that downstairs! Natalie, little Nicole is
happily ensconced in 'The Little Mermaid'. That child does seem to have a
predilection for mythical creatures. Wait until she finds out about US!" She
grinned and everyone laughed. "Vraiment, I came to get these cookies you
mentioned to her Natalie. I assume you have some around here somewhere?"



Natalie nodded and went to the kitchen. She opened a package of Keebler's
cookies and pulled out two of them, put them on a plate and handed them to
Janette. "Here, these are her favorites."



Janette looked at the cookies and shrugged.



"Oh, by the way Janette, Natalie and I are thinking of buying a bigger
house. Do you know any good real estate agents?"



Janette smiled. "As a matter of fact, Cecile's sister is one, and quite good
from what Cecile says. She is a mortal, of course, and unaware of her sister
's condition, but I think we can arrange for an appointment for you. I will
get her number for you." She turned and walked out.



Natalie looked at Nick, an idea forming. "Nick, I have an idea about a
nanny. I'm not sure if it's a good idea or not, but tell me what you think.
I got an email from my sister-in-law Sarah. I didn't realize it, but my
niece Amy is graduating from high school in June. I had talked to Sarah at
Christmas, and she was worried about the money to put Sarah through college.
She wants to go into law, like Ritchie. I know Lewis and Clark has a good
law program, and Portland State has a good reputation as an undergraduate
school. What if we suggested that Amy live with us while she's in school? We
'll help her with tuition, give her free room and board in exchange for her
nanny services. I know she gets really good grades, so she should be able to
get in with no problems. Nikki is going to be in kindergarten next year, so
that takes care of half the daylight hours."



Nick thought about it. "That might work. When's the last time you saw them?"



"Last summer. Why?"



"Well, you look amazingly good for a woman of 43. I just didn't want to have
to explain your youthful good looks, or mine, to them. But it's been long
enough that they probably have forgotten what I look like, and if you looked
this good the last time they saw you, they shouldn't be too shocked when
they see you at the wedding."



Natalie smiled. "Nicholas de Brabant Knight Lambert, I love you." She kissed
him again, this time trying to put a damper on her passion. She hadn't
reckoned on the highly sensual nature of the vampire, and was enjoying the
time she was spending with Nick in the privacy of their bedroom. She broke
the kiss and just enjoyed being held. He continued to stroke her hair in
silence. Since they had found one another, they had found themselves to be
very demonstrative, knowing that they had almost lost each other
permanently.



Part 7



They sat in the living room, talking about plans for their wedding and
moving Nick to the west coast. LaCroix came in; Janette came and went
several times, once bringing a business card for Cecile's sister. Finally,
Arthur arrived around 9:30, a small suitcase with him. He shook Nick's hand
and kissed Natalie on the cheek.

"Arthur, thank you so much for volunteering to stay with Nikki. I know
LaCroix has done admirably well with her, but children just are NOT his
forte. And my daughter---OUR daughter" Natalie amended with a peck on Nick's
cheek, "is a handful. Nick and I have decided to try and find a mortal nanny
for her, but any help you are able to give is very welcome! We're going to
try and come home at sunset and stay with Nikki until she goes to bed. This
isn't going to be easy, but somehow we'll make it work."



Arthur beamed at them. "You know, Jeremy and I talked about adopting, until
we found out he was HIV positive. So, this is actually something I'm looking
forward to. Are you two going to come back with us tonight?"



Nick and Natalie looked at each other. They had been tossing the idea
around. Finally, Nick looked at him and nodded. "Yes. I think it's important
for Nikki to have Nat with her as much as possible. It will only be for a
short time. We're going to try and keep Nikki up late tonight here, so that
she'll sleep most of the day."  He grinned. "Nat's even giving her some
cookies and soda so that she gets a sugar rush and a caffeine buzz."



Natalie looked guilty at that admission, but it had been the only way the
couple could think to change Nikki's schedule around. "Arthur, I apologize
in advance. She's a beast the day after she's had a sugar high, but usually
she just sulks in her room for a few hours until she gets hungry. Hopefully
she'll be better with the novelty of so many new relatives around. I called
her regular babysitter, Margaret, and asked her if she'd be able to help out
a few hours in the afternoon for the next few weeks. She said sure,
especially when I told her I'm starting a new job, and getting married."



Part 8



The vampires sat and talked amiably for the next hour, until Nikki came
running up the steps and burst through the door, barreling for her mother.



"Hi Momma! Aunt Janette said I could watch another movie if you said it was
Ok. May I, PLEEEEEEEEEASE? She has Snow White! And Bambi, and Winnie the
Pooh!"



Nick and Arthur tried not to laugh at the spastic youngster, knowing that
the sugar and caffeine had kicked in.



"Yes, Sweetie. You may watch another movie." She tousled Nikki's hair.



Nikki threw her arms around her mother and kissed her, then crawled over
Natalie to Nick and gave him the same treatment, to his delighted surprise.



"Honey, I want you to meet someone else. I know you're meeting a lot of new
people, but these are all members of Nick's family. This is Arthur; he's
going to stay at the house for a few days with Grandpa while Mommy's still
getting better. I'm going to come home and tuck you in, but you need to be
good for Arthur, just like you've been good for Grandpa."



Nikki looked over at Arthur from her perch on Nick's lap. She grinned. "Are
you Arthur like King Arthur?" He nodded. "Do you have a sword like
 'Scalbur?"



He grinned but shook his head. "No, sorry. I don't have any swords."



Nick leaned over to Nikki. "Guess what, honey? I have a sword, and I promise
to show it to you when I move in."



She turned to look at Nick, her eyes huge. "Daddy, YOU have a sword? Like
'Scalbur?"



He nodded. "It isn't a magic sword, but I'll tell you all kinds of stories
about the knight that it belonged to. Would you like that?" She nodded her
head enthusiastically, then planted a kiss on Nick's cheek and jumped down,
running for the door. The adults grinned when they heard her running down
the hall calling for Janette.



"Aunt Janette, Mommy said I could watch another movie. May I please watch
Bambi? Please?"



The adults laughed, knowing that Janette would occupy the little girl for at
least another couple of hours.



Part 9



Arthur finally got up after talking to Natalie for another hour about Nikki'
s personality and preferences. He decided to go to the bookstore and pick up
some more books for Nikki. Natalie encouraged Nikki to read and had no
objections to a few books, as long as no one went overboard. He promised to
meet them at Natalie's house by midnight.



Once more alone, yet surrounded by the warmth of family, Nick put some music
on the stereo. He softly hummed along and occasionally sang to some of the
show tunes. Natalie lay wrapped in his physical embrace as well as cocooned
by his love.  Just before midnight, Janette and Nikki came upstairs. Nikki
was starting to come down off her sugar and caffeine-induced states, and had
her arms wrapped around Janette's neck and her head on the vampire's
shoulder. Natalie stood up and started to reach for her, but Nick was
faster. He walked over to Janette and took the quiet girl from her. Nikki
easily let herself settle into Nick's arms, smiling at Natalie.



"You ready to go home, Pumpkin?" Natalie stroked her dark curls. Nikki
nodded against Nick's shoulder. "OK, I'm going to go get your coat. Say
thank you and goodnight to your Aunt Janette."



Nikki twisted in Nick's arms, and put her arms around Janette's neck and
kissed her cheek. "Thank you Aunt Janette. I hope I can come back again, I
had a good time!"



Janette kissed her cheek. "Oui, yes you may come back anytime you would
like. Be good for Arthur and your Grandfather. I will see you tomorrow night
when we go looking for your dress. Bon nuit, ma Petite." Janette left to go
down to the club.



Part 10



Once more cuddled in Nick's arms, she asked him, "Daddy, what is Aunt
Janette saying? I don't understand some of her words."



Nick smiled. "Your Aunt Janette is French. Have you heard of the Eiffel
Tower?" She nodded. "Well, your Aunt Janette used to live in Paris, and so
did I. We have been to the very top of the Eiffel Tower.  If you would like,
I'll teach you French."



"Really? You talk French? Say something, Daddy, please?"



"Oui, ma Petite. Je t'aime, mon ange."



Nikki wrinkled her nose in puzzlement. "That's partly what Aunt Janette
said. What did you say, Daddy?"



"I said, 'yes, my little one. I love you, my angel.'"



"Daddy, I DO want to learn French! Does Mommy know French?"



Just at that moment, Natalie came back carrying Nikki's coat and wearing her
own. "Do I know French? Some, but not as much as your Daddy, Aunt Janette
and Grandfather. Is Daddy going to teach you French?" Nikki nodded.



Natalie laughed. "Well, I should probably learn more, especially around your
Aunt Janette." She pulled Nikki out of Nick's arms and put her on the floor
to put her coat on. Nikki let herself be dressed, then immediately went back
to Nick to pick her up. Natalie was secretly glad, as her control was
strained having Nikki so close to her.



Nick hefted her. "Nat, do you want to go find LaCroix and let him know we're
going home with Nikki, and that Arthur will meet us there?" She nodded and
went to find him.



Nikki was fighting sleep, and losing the battle. Nick hugged her close, the
warmth of her small body settled trustingly against him. He marveled at her
personality, and at his own good luck of not only having Natalie, but also a
daughter to raise with her. When he had received the call that Natalie had a
daughter, his spirits had sunk into despair, imagining that Natalie had
found a husband and partner, finally attaining a measure of happiness. He
could not have denied her that right, when it seemed impossible for them
ever to be together. However, when he and LaCroix had shared blood the night
of his arrival, his joy at learning the truth had given him a deep hope that
perhaps there would be a way. Learning of Natalie's conversation about being
given a choice about joining him in his eternal darkness had brought him
mixed feelings, but had also allowed him to make the decision to bring her
across as she lay dying.



Natalie and LaCroix came back at that moment. LaCroix had put his coat on.



"Nicholas, would you like me to carry her?"



"No, thank you. I'm fine." Nick never wanted to relinquish the child in his
arms.



Part 11



The three vampires and the dozing child left the club to take Natalie's car
back to her house. Fifteen minutes later, they pulled into the garage of
Natalie's Raleigh Hills house. Nick smiled at Natalie and squeezed her hand.
Nikki was sleeping in the back seat, LaCroix sitting next to her. Natalie
got out of the car and went around to take the dozing child from her car
seat. Nikki protested against her mother, but settled down. LaCroix opened
the door from the garage into the house, and Natalie led the way through the
laundry room, into the small kitchen. The three vampires could sense that
Arthur had already arrived, having been given a key to the house by Natalie
earlier.



He got up from the chair he had been occupying, and walked over to them.



"I figured out which room was hers, and I put out some pajamas and turned
down her bed."



Natalie and Nick both smiled, and Natalie thanked him. "Thanks, Arthur. She'
s exhausted." She turned to Nick. "I'm going to put her to bed, do you want
to come up?"



He could feel her struggle for control and nodded. Natalie led the way up
the steps to the upstairs bedrooms. Nikki's room was the first door on the
right at the top of the stairs, and the soft light from her nightlight was
more than the vampires needed to see. Nat set Nikki down on her feet and
started taking off her coat. Nikki automatically held out her arms and
lifted her feet for her clothing to be removed.



Nick helped Natalie control her blood lust, which was rising as she started
taking her daughter's clothes off. Finally she looked up at Nick, frustrated
and her control stretched thin. "Nick, can you finish this, please?"



Nick nodded and Natalie stepped back to the far side of the room, trying not
to cry, her arms wrapped around herself. Nick finished getting Nikki into
her nightgown, then put her in bed and tucked her in. He kissed her forehead
and motioned for Natalie to come over and say good night to her daughter.
Natalie closed her eyes, steeled herself, and walked over to the small bed.
She leaned over and kissed Nikki.



"Good night Sweetie. I'll be by tomorrow to see you. Be good for Arthur and
your Grandfather."





Nikki murmured something unintelligible and fell into a deep slumber. Nick
and Natalie left the room, leaving the door ajar. Natalie took Nick's hand
and led him to her bedroom at the other end of the hall, shaking with the
efforts of keeping herself in control.



Nick closed the door, then pulled Natalie into an embrace. "Nat, you need to
feed. Here, drink." He offered her his neck, and without hesitation Natalie
plunged her fangs in. Nick closed his eyes at the erotic pleasure her
suckling caused, and sent waves of love and support to her along their link.
He could feel her frustration and anger at not being able to take care of
Nikki, but also her undying love and devotion to him.



Natalie finally got her control back and pulled back from Nick, licking the
already healing puncture marks. She looked up at him, and smiled. "Thank
you. I didn't realize that I needed that so much."  She laced her arms
around his neck and pulled his mouth to hers in a passionate kiss.



After a few minutes they pulled apart, both their eyes flecked with amber,
fangs extended. Nick hugged her quickly, then pulled back.



"Love, we should wait until we're back at the Janette's for that. Your link
with Nikki might cause her some discomfort this close by. BUT, I'm taking a
rain check from you!" He kissed the end of her nose, then stepped back to
look around the bedroom.



Part 12



He recognized some of the furniture from her apartment in Toronto, including
the queen-sized bed and dresser. The room was cozy, with two large windows
on the west wall, sheer lace drapes hanging over them. He noticed several
pictures on the dresser, and walked over to pick up one of Natalie and
Nikki. He smiled at the image. There were also a few pictures of him that he
hadn't even known Natalie had. He turned to look at her. She was watching
him, a smile on her face.



"So, do you want the grand tour, such as it is?"



Nick nodded. "Definitely. Your home is very welcoming, Nat." He took her
hand and she led him out the door.



Natalie showed him the bathroom, laughing when she realized that she never
needed to worry about certain aspects of human anatomy anymore, realizing
that she was not going to miss some of the discomforts of being a mortal
woman. Natalie changed the sheets in the upstairs guest room for Arthur and
laid out some towels. She frowned, realizing that even though there were
blinds on the windows they would probably need to cover the windows better
to keep the sunlight from entering.



Sensing her thoughts, Nick made some suggestions. "If you have some blankets
or quilts and some heavy tape, we should be able to make do for Arthur. We
can go to Home Depot and get some materials to make something a little more
sturdy tomorrow night. Or we can call a contractor if you know anyone. Don't
worry, Nat. We'll get it taken care of."



She smiled in relief and took him back downstairs, showing him her small
office off the dining room, and the basement where LaCroix was staying.



"I was thinking we could put a nanny down here. It's a bit dark, but it has
a full bathroom."



Nick looked around. The room was well suited to vampire living, but might
make a mortal feel claustrophobic. "Nat, think about this. Why don't you and
I move down here, and we can turn the spare bedroom into the nanny's room,
and think of something else to do with your bedroom? That way we're not only
away from the sun, but it gives us a little bit of privacy. The spare
bedroom is right across from Nikki's room, and that would put the nanny
right next to her."



Natalie's eyebrows rose and her mind started calculating the possibilities.
"That's not a bad idea, Nick." She grinned. "It might take a little getting
used to, but it's definitely worth considering." She hugged him and kissed
him, fighting the passionate urges that always accompanied any physical
expression between them.



Part 13



Grinning, they made their way back up to the family room where LaCroix and
Arthur were talking, into the kitchen. Natalie went to the refrigerator and
pulled out a bottle of blood wine. It was her first experience with blood
laced with wine, and she was eager to try it. She had always enjoyed wine,
and hoped that the experience wouldn't be disappointing. She turned to Nick.



"Nick, do you think it's OK for me to try blood wine?" He nodded. "Do you
want any? It's human, but I know it's donated because Janette made a point
of telling me when she brought it over."



Nick hesitated, then nodded. "It's probably not a bad idea for me to drink
some human while we're getting you trained."



Natalie poured two glasses, and handed him one. She cautiously brought the
glass to her lips and took a small sip. The taste of the wine sparkled along
her taste buds, mixing with the donated blood. The alcohol bite lasted only
a second, and she tasted more complexities to the wine than any mortal ever
had. She smiled, realizing that she wouldn't have to give up all the
familiar tastes of mortality. The bouquet of the wine held all the cherry,
toast, and even a hint of her beloved chocolate flavors in it, reminding her
of food.



Nick watched her expression, relaxing when she smiled. "Like it?"



She nodded. "I can taste so much more of the bouquet! There's even a hint of
chocolate."



Nick laughed. "Well, that's a blessing! I can't imagine you without SOME
sort of chocolate in your life." He was savoring the taste of a human
vintage himself. He had been forced to drink uncut human blood after he had
almost killed Natalie, in an effort to bring his raging blood lust under
control. He had slowly gone back to steer blood in the last few years, still
preferring to avoid human blood if he could help it. But he had to admit
that human blood gave him a much greater measure of control. Since he could
make sure that the blood was donated, he didn't feel the guilt that had led
him to swear off human blood in the nineteenth century.



Grabbing the bottle in one hand and holding her glass in the other, Natalie
led Nick back to the family room. She set the bottle down on the coffee
table, motioning the other vampires to help themselves.  Nick and Natalie
sat down together, holding hands.


Part 14



"How long do you think she'll sleep, Natalie?" Arthur asked



"She should be tired enough to sleep until at least eleven. Margaret will be
by at noon until six."



LaCroix piped up. "I can certainly occupy her for an hour. This mortal, does
she have a key to your home or are we going to have to let her in?"



"She has a key, and she knows that I have house guests. She'll take Nikki to
the park. I told her that you were from out of town and still on a different
time zone due to travel."



After the vampires had set up a tentative schedule, Nick and Arthur set
about making sure that the windows in Arthur's room were well covered, as
well as closing the blinds in the rest of the house.  They finished their
work around four in the morning, and Natalie could feel herself starting to
tire. Nick had told her that for several years she would be ruled by the
rising and setting of the sun, and that she would become drowsy as the sun
started to rise. She had already said goodnight to Arthur, again thanking
him for his generous help with Nikki.



Nick sensed her fatigue and found her curled up on the couch in the family
room. He smiled at her, and leaned down. He whispered conspiratorially in
her ear. "So, do you want your first flying lesson?"



Her eyes went wide and a smile of excitement split her face. "Really?"



Nick nodded. "I thought we should leave the car here in case LaCroix or
Arthur need to take Nikki anywhere.  We'll take Janette's car tomorrow night
to go shopping with Nikki. So, that means we have to find our own way back
to the club." He grinned at her enthusiasm.



She stood up, suddenly energized. LaCroix entered the room at that point,
sensing the anticipation in Natalie's demeanor. One eyebrow shot up. Nick
turned to him.



"Nat and I are going to fly back to the club, it's her first flying lesson."



LaCroix nodded in approval. "Excellent. I do hope you enjoy the experience,
Natalie. I shall no doubt visit the club at some point tomorrow or the next
evening." With that he sat down, in effect dismissing his son and
granddaughter.



Nick shrugged, took Natalie's hand and led her to the sliding glass door
onto the patio. They stepped through the door into the cool night air.



Part 15



"You ready, Love?"



Natalie nodded her head.



"OK, we can do this the hard way or the easy way. The hard way is usually
more effective."



She frowned. "What's the difference?"



"The easy way, I try and talk you through the mechanics of it, and see if
you can pick it up. The hard way, we go find a tall building and you jump,
or I push you. Instinct kicks in."



She stared at him in disbelief. "You're kidding, right?"



He shook his head. "Both Janette and I had to learn the hard way. LaCroix
tried to talk us both through it, but he wasn't very patient with either of
us. At least that's how it was for me, and that's what Janette and her
memories say. It is effective, if less than satisfactory."



Gulping, Natalie asked him to try talking her through it first.



"OK. Let's go over here a little away from the house." They walked to the
edge of her small back yard, which had a hill sloping away from the house as
the rear boundary of her property. Nick turned to face her. "OK, shut your
eyes and imagine floating in water."



Natalie did as he asked. She envisioned herself buoyed up by the gentle
caress of waves, bobbing in the ocean surf. She felt the freedom of
weightlessness and concentrated on enjoying the release from the sensation
of weight.



She heard Nick chuckle and opened her eyes, which went wide in wonder. She
was parallel to the ground, looking down at it from a height of about six
feet.



"Well, you are obviously a much better subject than either Janette OR me.
Good job."



She looked over at him. "Nick, this is amazing! Er, now what do I do?"



He slowly levitated so that he was parallel with her. "Now, we go up." He
took her hand and gently started rising, pulling her.



Natalie concentrated some more on the feeling of floating and started to
rise up after Nick. They rose up to about two hundred feet, and Nick
released her hand. He started moving ahead of her, picking up speed. She
felt him send encouragement to her along their blood link, and she
discovered that the link also gave her some directional guidance. It was
very much like the sensation she had used to find Nikki, but much stronger.
She felt as if a bright cord of light linked her to Nick.



The cloudy night helped obscure the flying vampires. Natalie was entranced
not only with the city lights below her, but also the enhanced vision. She
could see small forms below them with her capabilities of seeing into the
infrared of the spectrum.  She felt a tug and Nick started going higher. She
followed him up, trying to accustom herself to the changes in her
perceptions. She could hear cars, radios and television sets, some casual
conversations. Her skin was sensitive enough to pick up changes in air
pressure around her and she marveled at the freedom.



Part 16



Within a few minutes they were at the back door to the Elysium, and Nick
swept her into a hug. "I'm so proud of you! You are adjusting to this much
better than anyone I have ever known." He bent down to kiss her, the passion
between them roaring to life.



Nick felt his eyes changing to a molten gold, and he could sense Natalie's
growing physical and blood arousal through their bond. He slid his mouth
away from hers, and started licking his way down her throat, until he was at
the site of her carotid artery. He nibbled and sucked at the point, his
extended fangs lightly scraping over her skin. She moaned in response and he
could feel her reaching out to pull him closer. He chuckled against her
neck, pulling back. Natalie made a noise of protest.



"It is NOT nice to tease me like that, Nick!"



Leaning forward to lick his tongue delicately across her pouting lower lip,
Nick whispered to her, "oh, it isn't?" He let his tongue slide into her
mouth and wrap around her extended canine, eliciting a gasp of pleasure from
her.



He pulled back again and put his arm around her shoulders. "C'mon, let's go
up to bed, and I'll reward you for all your hard work and progress."



The following evening, Nick woke up before Natalie and went to search for
Janette. He found her in the kitchen pouring herself a glass of blood. She
looked up at his entrance.



"Bon soir, Nicholas. Would you like your usual swill or something more
palatable?"



Ignoring the jibe, he moved past her and opened the refrigerator, pulling
out one of the bottles of steer blood, and pulling down a glass to fill.



When both of them had their meals, he gestured her to the living room and
sat down.



Part 17



"I will be drinking some of the human vintages while I'm training Nat, but
it will be at MY discretion."



Janette tossed her head and sniffed, then changed the subject. "Do you know
where you wish to take Nikki this evening to find a dress?"



Nick shook his head. "I was hoping Nat could help with suggestions when she
wakes up. I'm guessing one of the Disney stores or a toy store would have a
costume."



Janette pursed her lips. "I have an idea. Yes, you are right about a
costume. Perhaps what we can do is purchase one of these commercial
costumes, then have a seamstress work on making a true party dress for her."



Nick grinned. "Actually, I had thought of that myself. I know Nat isn't used
to the idea of having almost limitless resources. I was planning on
suggesting that she have her dress made, and that the same person make Nikki
's dress for the wedding. I assume you have a good seamstress?"



Janette nodded just as Nick felt Natalie stirring. He smiled and went to
pour her a glass of blood. She wandered into the kitchen, her hair tousled
from sleep, a yawn on her lips.



"Good morning Nick, Janette. Oh, thank you!" She leaned forward to kiss Nick
when he handed her the glass.



"Good morning Love, Janette and I were just discussing the wedding, notably
a dress for you." His eyes twinkled at the smile that crossed her lips and
he led her back to sit beside him on the loveseat he had been occupying.



"You were, hmmm? And what exactly WERE you discussing?"



"Cherie, I was telling Nicholas about my dress maker. She is FABULOUS and
has access to some of the most stunning fabrics. This is going to be your
wedding day, and you need to look fabulous!"



"Which reminds me, Janette. Would you consider being my maid of honor?"



A smile of delight crossed the beautiful vampire's lips. "I would be
honored! I never thought the day would come when I would be attending
Nicholas' bride!" They all laughed and continued to talk some more about
wedding details. Nick and Natalie still hadn't set a date, although they
both knew they didn't want to wait too long.



Part 18



The phone rang and Janette got up to answer it. Nick kissed Natalie's hand
and stood up. "I need to get showered and changed. Janette and I are going
to go get Nikki. Do you want to go home while we're out? I'm sure you would
rather make wedding plans at home."



She smiled and nodded. "I was thinking that. With Nikki out of the house, I'
ll be able to get things done." She looked slyly at him. "How about I wash
your back?"



Grinning, he stood up and held out his hand by way of answer.



Forty-five minutes later, the three vampires were pulling up in front of
Natalie's house. They went to the front door and opened it. As they walked
in, Nikki came flying out of the family room.



"Momma, Daddy!" She threw herself at the two adults, wrapping her arms
around one leg each. Nick reached down to scoop her up into his arms. She
settled against him, a happy smile on her face. "Hi Daddy! Guess what?
Margaret took me to the ZOO and I got to pet a llama!"



"You did? Wow. How big was the llama?" He took her into the family room
while Natalie struggled to control her blood lust, sending a tendril of love
to her caressing her mind.



Janette put an arm around her, and she could feel the older vampire's
support through their shared link with Nick.



"You're doing fine, Cherie. It takes time. We won't let you do anything to
harm her or yourself." Natalie nodded and pushed the vampire inside of her
down.



".and I got to pet the BABY llama too! He was so soft and little!" Nikki was
still telling Nick about her visit to the petting zoo in great detail.



Natalie and Janette walked into the family room and sat down. Nikki
immediately got down from Nick's lap and zoomed over to Natalie.



Part 19



"Hi Mommy! Did you hear?" Her eyes sparkled as she threw her arms around
Natalie's neck, oblivious to the havoc her warm arms and beating heart were
having on her mother.



"I did hear, Sweetie. Were you a good girl for Margaret and Arthur today?"
Natalie hugged Nikki carefully, then released her.



Nikki nodded and stepped back. "Yes, Momma." She turned her blue eyes toward
Janette. "Hi Aunt Janette. Are we going for my dress?"



"Yes, Nikki. Are you ready?"



Nikki nodded and scampered off to get her coat. Nick came over to kneel in
front of Natalie. He stroked a piece of hair away from her face. "You OK?"



She nodded, although she was shaking. "I'll be all right once you take her
shopping." Nick laid his forehead against hers, again reinforcing their link
and helping her control her animalistic urges.



She sighed and smiled. "Thanks, that does help. You're going to have to tell
me how you do that."



Just then Nikki came back into the room carrying her pink raincoat and a
small purse. She walked over to Natalie, concern on her small face.



"Momma, are you OK?"



Natalie smiled at her. "I'll be fine Sweetie. I'm still getting better,
which is why Arthur and Margaret are spending time with you. But I'm still
going to be here to tuck you in every night." She reached her arms out and
brought Nikki to her and planted a cool kiss on her cheek. "When you get
back, maybe Daddy will tell you a story if you're a good girl."



Nikki looked at Natalie with a puzzled frown. "You aren't coming?"



"No Sweetie, I have to do some work. But Daddy will take good care of you.
OK?"



Nikki pouted a few seconds then gravely nodded her head and let Natalie put
her coat on for her. She hugged her, then let Nick pick her up.



"Nick, she loves the smoothies at Orange Julius, she can have a small one if
she wants it."



"Mommy, may I have a cookie, too, please?"



Natalie smiled. "Yes, you may have ONE Mrs. Fields cookie. Nick, she likes
the SMALL chocolate chip cookies."  He winked at her over Nikki's shoulder.



Nikki waved her hand. "Bye Mommy!" Natalie waved back as the other two
vampires took her out into the early evening.



Part 20



Natalie walked to the refrigerator and pulled out one of the bottles of
bloodwine, her hands shaking. She pulled a glass out of the cabinet and
filled it with the bloodwine, then gulped the glass down. Instantly, her
urges were soothed. She poured herself another glass and went into her
office. She pulled her calendar out to look at the dates. It was the second
week of April, and she was surprised to realize her birthday was
approaching. And the fifteenth anniversary of her meeting with Nick. Given
all the events of the last few days, she thought perhaps a celebration was
in order.



Pushing that idea aside, she continued to peruse the calendar, trying to
find a suitable day for the wedding. She looked at June, and circled June
28th, realizing that it had been her father's birthday. She picked up the
phone and called Nick's cell phone.



"Nick Lambert."



"Hi Nick, what do you think of June 28th for the wedding?"



"That sounds fine, Nat. Whatever you want. I love you."



"I love you too. I wanted to call Sarah and Amy and give them the date.
Thanks."



"Bye Love."



Natalie hung up the phone and pulled out her address book. She looked up
Sarah's number in Vancouver and dialed.



"Hello?" Natalie smiled as she recognized Amy's voice.



"Hi Amy, it's Natalie. How are you doing?"



"Aunt Nat! I'm doing great! How are you?"



"Well, actually, I'm doing really well. I have an announcement. Can you get
your Mom on the other line?"



"Sure, hold on." Natalie heard her set the phone done, along with a myriad
of tiny clicking and whirring sounds that she had never perceived as a
mortal.



The phone picked back up and there was the click of another extension.



"Natalie? Hi! I got your email about the graduation. I'll send you more
details. What's up?"



Natalie had forgotten all about the graduation ceremony. She needed to think
about some things.



"Well, are you two sitting down?" The other two women assured her they were
fine. "Well, I'm getting married."



Stunned silence greeted her announcement. Finally Sarah piped up. "MARRIED?
Natalie, I didn't even know you were SEEING anyone!"



"Well, it isn't exactly someone new in my life. It's more like someone from
the past." She took a deep breath. "Nick's back in my life and we're getting
married."



The line erupted with questions, exclamations, and a few words of warning.



"WHOA! One thing at a time. Sarah, you don't know the whole story about our
break up in Toronto. It's very complicated. You also don't know that Nikki
was kidnapped last week, and Nick flew here with his family and helped me
get her back. She's fine, I'm fine, but it's definitely been a full few
days."



Sarah was the first to recover. "OK, obviously things have been happening.
Why didn't you call when Nikki was kidnapped?"



"Well, for one thing, my lines were tapped. For another, it happened really
fast, and I didn't want you to get hurt. And finally, it turned out to be a
mob boss that escaped from custody in Toronto. Honestly, Sarah, I didn't
call for your own protection. It's over, and Nikki is back with us safe and
sound. And Nick and I have realized that neither of us wants to live without
the other. Please say you're happy for us?"



Amy's voice sounded. "Aunt Nat, of COURSE we're happy for you. I don't even
remember Nick, but I remember Mom and Dad talking about the two of you and
how right you were together. I can't wait to see you guys. When's the
wedding and where?"



"We're going to have it here in Portland, and I think it will be Saturday,
June 28th. It's going to be a formal evening wedding, which brings me to my
next point. Will both of you be bridesmaids for me? Nick's sister is also
going to be in the bridal party, and their adopted father is the best man.
Nikki is going to be the flower girl, of course. She's out getting her dress
right now. She wants to be just like Belle from Beauty and the Beast."



The three women laughed, well aware of Nikki's love of the Disney movie. Amy
and Sarah both agreed with enthusiastic responses. Natalie assured them that
once she had a color scheme and dresses picked out she would call them.



Part 21



"Amy, I need to talk to your Mom about something. I love you honey, and I
can't wait to see you in a few weeks."



"OK, bye Aunt Nat! I can't wait for the wedding, and tell Nick I'm looking
forward to meeting him!" She hung up.



"What's up, Nat?"



"Well, one of the reasons that Nick and his family came for the kidnapping
was to help me with the ransom. I've never said anything, but he comes from
a very old wealthy European family. The only reason I'm mentioning it now is
because I have an idea I want to throw at you. I don't know if you remember
that Nick has a sun allergy?" Sarah vaguely recalled that. "Well, he and I
have been talking, and we've decided that we need to think about getting a
nanny for Nikki for the next couple of years. We're going to get a bigger
house, and I'm switching jobs, going back to the night shift.  I suggested
that maybe Amy might be interested. I know you said that money for college
was tight, and I don't see any reason for you to go into debt to put her
through school when it isn't necessary. Nick and I would be willing to help
with her tuition and offer her free room and board if she's willing to go to
school here. Portland State has a really good undergraduate program, and
there are other schools in the area. If she decides to go to law school
here, Lewis and Clark has an excellent law program. This isn't charity, we
really would ask her to help take care of Nikki, drop her off at day care or
kindergarten and pick her up, and watch her during the day."



Sarah was stunned. "Nat, I don't know what to say. This is.incredible. Roy
and I have been trying to figure out a way to make this work. I know Amy
adores Nikki, and with you in Portland, it's so much closer. Let me talk to
them about it. I can't see any reason why it wouldn't work unless Amy really
doesn't want to move to Portland. She knows that finances are tight, and she
's mentioned waiting a year and working to save money. She's gotten offered
a few partial scholarships, but she really hasn't seemed too enthusiastic
about moving to Ottawa or Waterloo. Can I talk to them about it and get back
to you?"



"Of course. I wanted to give you a few weeks to think about it. As soon as I
have more details about the wedding, I'll give you a call. Give Roy a hug
for me. Bye."



Natalie hung up the phone with a feeling of satisfaction. Amy was really her
only living relative other than Nikki, and the chance to help out Ritchie's
family made her feel good. She glanced at her watch and saw that it was
still relatively early. She pulled the card for Cecile's sister out of her
purse to give her a call.



"Hello, Glisan Real Estate, Julia Becker speaking."



"Hi Julia, my name is Natalie Knight, and your sister Cecile referred me to
you. My fiancé and I are looking at buying a larger house, and we were
hoping you might be able to help us out. I currently live in Raleigh Hills,
and we were thinking of looking over on the other side of town for something
larger."



"Sure, I'd be glad to help. My schedule is pretty light right now. When
would you like to set up an appointment?"



"Well, my fiancé has a rare allergy to sunlight, so it would need to be in
the evening, if that's OK."



"Not a problem. How about tomorrow night around seven thirty? My office is
downtown in the Pearl District."



"That sounds good. I'll get directions from Cecile. I'll talk to Nick and we
can try and get a few ideas together as to what we're looking for. Thanks
for your help."



"I look forward to meeting you both. Have a good evening."



Satisfied with the progress of her personal life, Natalie knew it was time
to face the situation she had been dreading for the last two days since she
had become one of the undead. It was time to cut the ties to her
professional life. She pulled out her laptop and set it up to write her
resignation letter. As the blank screen stared at her, she watched the
blinking cursor. OHSU DID have third shift research teams, but none of the
projects they were currently working on even remotely appealed to Natalie.
And with her changed anatomy, if she truly wanted to stay in Portland, she
needed to start fresh in a new place where her lack of aging wouldn't be
problematic for several years.



Part 22



She also had promised Nick that she would look at potential properties for
the de Brabant Foundation to invest in. She supposed she should do that
before she started looking at new homes. Finally, she got a mental grip on
herself.



*You have to write this resignation letter.*



Sighing, she sat down and started typing. She knew her director was going to
be shocked when he received her resignation. She had just gotten a raise and
a promotion earlier that year. Musing on what she should and could use as an
excuse, she decided to let them know that she was resigning due to her
upcoming marriage. She didn't need to tell everyone she was staying in
Portland. She hadn't made any close friends at work, as she had in Toronto.
Her work was solitary, which is what she had been looking for when she moved
here. She had made a conscious decision to devote all her energy to raising
her child. While it made life a bit lonely sometimes, her close bond with
Nikki had more than made up for it. She had joined a health club and
occasionally got together with a couple of other professional women she had
met, but she had kept mostly to herself. She was actually hoping to spend
more time with Janette, and was interested in learning more about Cecile.
The feisty brunette had made an impression on Natalie, and she was eager to
learn more about Janette's youngest fledgling.



She finally finished the resignation and was looking at some of the sites
for the Foundation research facility when she sensed Nick, Janette and Nikki
returning.



Part 23



She got up from her desk and went to meet them at the front door. She could
hear the adults laughing at something Nikki had said.



The door opened and the two vampires and child came through the door.
Janette was smiling and had several bags in both hands, and Nick had Nikki
on his shoulders. He ducked to make sure Nikki didn't hit her head, and she
squealed with delight.



Natalie smiled to see her family in such high spirits. It suddenly hit her:
she had a family. Not just Nikki, but Nick, and even Janette and LaCroix and
their extended blood ties. Nick could feel emotions thrumming along their
link, and he smiled as he set Nikki gently down. The little girl turned and
ran to Natalie.



"Momma, we got you a present! I have a dress and it's JUST LIKE BELLE'S! You
should see the dress Aunt Janette got, it's SO pretty! And Daddy got a new
shirt. He got a PINK one just for me!"



Natalie laughed as she hoisted her daughter and kissed her. She had just
finished several glasses of bloodwine, so her blood lust was under tight
control.



"Well, I think you should go put on your dress and show me." She turned to
look at Nick. "And I really want to see Daddy's new pink shirt. I think a
fashion show is in order. Should I get Arthur and your Grandfather to join
us?"



Nikki nodded and Natalie put her down. She ran over to Janette. "Aunt
Janette, will you help me with my dress? And put yours on too!"



"Oui, I think that is a fine idea. Why don't you show me to your room and we
will dress." She put down two of the bags and took Nikki's hand, winking at
Natalie as she passed by.



Natalie went over to Nick and put her arms around his neck. He leaned down
to kiss her. "I missed you. But it was fun shopping with Nikki."



She returned his kiss. "I missed you too. I'm glad you had a good time.
Thank you again, I got a lot accomplished."



He grinned and pulled away from her. "I believe I have to go change for this
little command performance. AND, I bought you a little something, but I don'
t want you to model this for everyone." His eyes twinkled as he handed her a
bag from Victoria's Secret and smiled.



Her eyebrows rose. She looked into the bag, but the box was wrapped with a
bow on it. "OK, I think we'll just wait for later for this fashion debut. I'
ll get Arthur and LaCroix. Arthur was working on the blinds in the spare
room, and LaCroix was making a bunch of phone calls to change his plans
about moving."



Nick picked up both bags and started up the steps. Natalie followed him with
her eyes, and felt his love flowing along their link. She smiled then went
to get the other two vampires for a private fashion show in the family room.



Twenty minutes later, Arthur and LaCroix had joined Natalie in the small
family room to watch the shoppers model their purchases. LaCroix was trying
not to act bored, but he wasn't very successful.



Part 24



Natalie put on the soundtrack to "Beauty and the Beast" and went to sit
down.



The vampires waited for Nikki and Janette to make their appearance. Nikki
came in first, wearing a yellow satin dress that was a costume based on the
dress from the movie. She sashayed up to LaCroix and grabbed his hand to
dance with her. Stunned, the ancient picked her up and started to waltz with
her. While they were dancing, Janette appeared in the doorway. Natalie
caught her breath at the stunning figure.



Her sheath dress was a deep gold burnout velvet pattern on a black
background, with a draped neckline of black chiffon. It fit her slender
figure like a glove to just above the knee, then flared to a fishtail hem.
She was wearing opera length black gloves. She did a pirouette for the
others in the room. LaCroix had a distinctly amorous gleam in his eye when
he gave Nikki to Arthur to dance with, and stepped up to dance with Janette.



"Your taste is exquisite, as always." They danced to the music, flawlessly
moving to the sound of Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson.



Natalie turned around when she felt Nick coming toward her. He had on a pink
silk shirt, not too bright but definitely not pale pink. He walked toward
her.



"May I have this dance?"



Without a word Natalie stepped into his arms.



Tale as old as time

True as it can be

Barely even friends

Then somebody bends

Unexpectedly

Just a little change

Small to say the least

Both a little scared

Neither one prepared

Beauty and the Beast



Ever just the same

Ever a surprise

Ever as before

Ever just as sure

As the sun will rise



 Tale as old as time

Tune as old as song

Bittersweet and strange

Finding you can change

Learning you were wrong

Certain as the sun

Rising in the east

Tale as old as time

Song as old as rhyme

Beauty and the Beast



As the strains of the music faded, Natalie looked into Nick's eyes and saw
her future mirrored there. Their love for one another wrapped around them
like a warm blanket, and Nick enfolded her closer in his arms, unaware and
uncaring of the looks from the other adults.



Part 25



Nikki smiled and wriggled to slip out of Arthur's hold. He put her down and
she walked over to Nick and Natalie. She tugged at Natalie's sweater,
causing her to look down at her daughter.



"Momma, Grandpa Lucius said the evil spell is broken, right?"



Natalie smiled at her and turned back to look at Nick.



"Yes, Sweetie. The evil spell is broken."



"So Daddy isn't a monster anymore?"



There was dead silence for several seconds until LaCroix started laughing.
All eyes turned to look at him.



He regarded his son and Nick felt a tendril of affection stroking his mind.



"Nikki, your daddy still has his moments, just like all of us. Come here."



He sat down and Nikki walked over to him and sat in his lap.



"My little princess, you need to learn something. Remember that although the
Beast was ferocious and looked mean, he loved Belle very much. Yes?" She
nodded. "Every person has a beast inside of them, and sometimes you can see
it and sometimes you cannot." He glanced up at Nick and Natalie, asking
their tacit permission to show his frightening vampiric countenance to
Nikki. Natalie bit her lip, glanced at Nick, then slowly nodded.



LaCroix looked back at Nikki and continued. "All of us in this family have
learned how to control the beast inside of us, but sometimes it will show.
If I let you see my beast, will you promise to remember that I am still the
same person and that I love you, and your parents and Aunt Janette very
much, that I will never let anyone hurt you? This will frighten you, but
remember that it is me inside. Do you want to see my beast, little Belle?"



Nikki's eyes had gone wide. She looked over to Natalie, who strode over to
the couch and knelt down in front of them. "It's OK honey. If you don't want
to see it, you don't have to. But it was Grandpa Lucius that saved you from
that mean man that took you, and it was the beast inside of him that helped
him do that."



Nikki looked back to LaCroix and slowly nodded her head. "I want to see the
beast, Grandpa Lucius. I promise I won't run away."



She leaned against Natalie as LaCroix allowed his eyes to change to gold and
his fangs to extend. He kept his eyes to gold, not allowing the red of true
fury and blood lust to emerge.



He slowly opened his mouth to let Nikki see his fangs. Fascinated, she
started to reach up to touch them. Natalie and LaCroix both stopped her.
Nikki turned to look at Natalie, then leaned back against her mother. She
continued to look at LaCroix, fascinated with the vampire.



"Grandpa Lucius, can you talk?"



LaCroix smiled. "Yes, little one. I'm going to change back now." His eyes
returned to their customary pale blue and his fangs retracted.



"So, you see Nikki, it is learning to control the beast that is important.
Do you understand?"



Nikki nodded. She looked at Natalie. "I love you, Momma. Even your beast,
and Daddy."



Natalie held her close, trying very hard not to cry. Nick came over and sat
down, pulling Nikki onto his lap.



"Sweetie, it's very important that you keep Grandpa's beast a secret. People
are very frightened if they don't understand. Can you do that?"



Nikki nodded. "Yes, Daddy." She looked at LaCroix. "I love you Grandpa,
thank you!"



The tension that had been thick in the room slowly dissipated. The adults
all sat down and Nikki asked them questions about different beasts,
including mermaids and ogres. Luckily, she didn't ask to see anyone else
change.  Soon she started yawning, and Natalie glanced at her watch to see
that it was after one in the morning.



Part 26



She picked up her daughter, and told her to say goodnight to everyone. They
made the rounds of kissing all the adults, then Nick and Natalie took Nikki
up to her bed. They helped her take off her dress and put on her pajamas,
even though she had wanted to sleep in it.



Nick bent down. "Honey, you don't want it to wrinkle, do you?" Nikki shook
her head sadly, her lower lip set in a pout. "I'll tell you what, I'll see
if I can find you a Belle nightgown, OK?"



A huge smile graced her face as she threw her arms around Nick's neck. "You'
re the bestest Daddy!" Nick held her close, cherishing her vibrancy and
warmth. He pulled back.



"You need to brush your teeth and then go to sleep. I think I owe you a
story before you fall asleep, hmmm?" She nodded and ran into the bathroom to
brush her teeth.



Natalie looked at him as he stood. "You're going to be a wonderful father, I
can tell."



Nick walked over to her and hugged her, planting a kiss on her forehead.
"How can I not be, when she's so wonderful?"



Natalie laughed. "Just wait. She has her moments."



Nick slipped his finger under Natalie's chin. "As LaCroix said earlier, we
ALL have our moments. But we take them in stride, and teach her love. And we
learn to forgive ourselves. THAT is a lesson you taught me."



He kissed her tenderly, just as Nikki came skipping in. "Daddy, I'm ready
for my story now."



Nick and Natalie ruefully pulled apart, and Nick picked Nikki up and tucked
her into her bed. Natalie leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I'm going to
let Daddy tell you your story, and I'll see you tomorrow, OK?"



Nikki nodded, then snuggled back against Nick. "Good night Mommy. Daddy,
tell me about the French tower and you and Aunt Janette."



Smiling, Natalie left the room as Nick started telling Nikki about the plans
for the 1889 Paris Exhibition.



Part 27



Natalie returned to the family room to find Arthur gone and Janette and
LaCroix deep in conversation. They looked up when she entered, and Janette
patted the cushion next to her.



"Sit here, Natalie. We were just discussing Nikki's extraordinary acceptance
of LaCroix's demonstration."



Natalie sat down and smiled. "Well, she's always been fascinated with Beauty
and the Beast, as well as fairy tales and just about every mythic creature
you can imagine. You should have seen her at Shrek!" She shook her head.
"Who would have thought she'd grow up the daughter of two vampires?"



Nick came down about fifteen minutes later, a grin on his face. He sat on
the floor at Natalie's feet, and she started rubbing his shoulders.



"She is just full of questions! I think I'm going to have to brush up on my
world history. LaCroix, you might want to do the same." Nick teased his
master.



LaCroix snorted and stood up. "I most certainly do NOT need to "brush up". I
remember it as if it was yesterday. I shall bid you all good night as I have
some more business to take care of."



Janette stood. "Natalie, I believe I will stay here for the day, if you have
no objections. I'll be right back with the keys to the car and the club."



Nick and Natalie watched the retreating vampire, a look of astonishment on
Natalie's face. She glanced at Nick. "Where is she going to sleep?"



He grinned at her. "I believe she will be in the basement keeping LaCroix
company."



Natalie's mouth dropped open. "But, she.he."



Nick laughed and rose to sit next to her, putting his arms around her. "My
love, you and I are very unique. Most vampires have short term, casual
liaisons with our own kind. Sometimes we find a more permanent attachment
for a few years or decades, but most vampires lose the ability to feel deep
and abiding love. In fact, that is what drove Janette from me long ago. I
never lost my ability to love deeply, and she felt suffocated by it. She
regained that ability when she met Robert, but her short time with him is a
memory that she sees as an anomaly in her own worldview. LaCroix has very
guarded emotions, and his feelings for us are a combination of deep
affection and loyalty. He has very definite views on familial duty, but that
includes his part as patriarch of this family. As you saw with the situation
involving Andropov, he is ruthless when those he has sworn to protect are
threatened. " He kissed her brow. "You also need to know that we feel baser
emotions very strongly, it is a part of the vampire. Anger, greed, lust,
hatred, jealousy; all these are easy for the vampire to emote. It is the
finer emotions such as love and tenderness that we struggle with, and as you
know, guilt is a very alien emotion to most of us."



Natalie sighed. "There is so much to learn."



"Yes, but I'll be here with you every step of the way, I promise." He hugged
her close to him.



Part 28



She snuggled up against him just as Janette came back with her keys. She
handed them to Nick, winked at them, then went to the door leading to the
basement.

Nick and Natalie got up and gathered the packages from the shopping trip,
bundled up and headed out into the night to return to the Elysium.



Their lives settled into a routine. LaCroix left to return to Venice to
settle his affairs, and Arthur stayed with Nikki at Natalie's house. Natalie
submitted her resignation, and her director's reaction was as shocked as she
had thought it would be. She met him at the lab one evening, with Nick in
tow. They explained that they were getting married and moving away from the
immediate area. Natalie told him that she was on a special medication that
caused a horrible reaction when the skin was exposed to sunlight. She
offered to finish her final two weeks on the third shift or from home, and
her director reluctantly agreed.



Every night, just after sunset, Nick and Natalie would return to Natalie's
house to spend time with Nikki, read to her, play with her, and tuck her
into bed. Natalie spent one night a week cooking meals for Nikki for the
rest of the week. She found that the smell of cooking food nauseated her,
and she elected to do a week's worth at once, leaving a detailed menu for
Margaret and Arthur to follow. After Nikki went to sleep, they spent at
least an hour on Natalie's control. Nick never left Natalie alone anywhere
except the Elysium, where the only mortals present would be surrounded by
vampires who could help Natalie control her appetites.  Natalie learned to
mingle with the company of other vampires, and slowly began to form ties to
the local community, with Janette acting as her mentor. Natalie's tolerance
to mortals quickly improved, and her control was increasing as well. As long
as Nick was near her, she was able to be around mortals for increasingly
longer periods of time.



They met with Julia twice a week to look at houses, both of them agreed that
they wanted to find just the right one, rather than move just to move. Nick
had never lived in the Pacific Northwest and the pine-covered hills, soaring
peak of Mount Hood on the horizon, and secluded homes appealed to him, and
he understood why Natalie wasn't ready to leave. The trauma of her final
year in Toronto had left a deep-seated need in her to maintain a sense of
being rooted, and he knew that they needed several years to establish their
marriage for her to feel comfortable and ready to move on. At first Natalie
refused to consider larger homes, even though she knew Nick could easily
afford anything in the area. However, after looking at roomier houses for a
few weeks, she became accustomed to Nick's standards, much to Julia's
delight.



Part 29



They continued to make wedding plans. When Natalie showed him her favorite
place in Portland, he was as entranced as she was with the Portland
Classical Chinese Garden.  They reserved the garden and Tea House for the
28th of June, beginning at 8:00 PM.  The garden was mere blocks from the
Elysium, which made it convenient for them. They were given the name of a
Wiccan priestess that was legally able to perform wedding ceremonies, and
both of them took to the woman immediately. They stressed that their
ceremony was to be civil, with no religious overtones or paraphernalia, and
she assured them that their wishes presented no problems. Janette introduced
Natalie to her dressmaker, and neither woman would let Nick have a hint
about either Natalie's dress or the dresses that she and Janette had chosen
for the bridal party. Nick just smiled, knowing that Janette would give
Natalie advice on a dress that would take his breath away.



For a belated birthday gift, Nick surprised Natalie with a trip to the
Edgefield Inn, an hour outside of the city. They drove along the Columbia
River Gorge in the moonlight on the Scenic Highway on a rare clear night.
Nick had bought a BMW convertible, and Natalie told him the story of the
whimsical building. It had originally been built in 1911 as a Poor House for
the county, and later became a retirement community. As they pulled up to
the main building, they both caught the strains of Celtic Harp, a fiddle,
and a tin whistle playing a sprightly jig. Nick grinned, and jumped out of
the car. He went around to help a puzzled Natalie out.



"Come on, Nat. Let's dance." His smile was infectious, and she let him take
her hand.



"Uh, Nick, I have no idea how to dance to this music."



"Don'tcha worry none, lass.'tis as simple as lettin' the music move your
feet." Nick's reply was in an Irish brogue so heavy it made Natalie laugh.



They headed toward the music, which was coming from a small building off to
the right of the main structure. The building was a brew house, and the main
doors were open to reveal a cobble stoned floor. When they got there, a
Celtic band was playing, people were clapping, and a few hearty souls were
dancing. Natalie watched, and Nick's foot was tapping to the beat, a grin on
his face and a twinkle in his eye.  Suddenly one of the young women watching
the music noticed Nick's foot tapping, and she boldly stepped up to him,
holding her hand out to him to dance. He looked at Natalie in question, and
she smiled and waved him on. They sauntered onto the floor, and Nick began a
traditional Irish jig, his partner dancing around him. Their feet flashed in
the crossover steps while they kept their hands at their sides, and the
audience started clapping in encouragement. The musicians continued into a
traditional reel, and Nick and his partner continued their performance.
After about fifteen minutes, Nick's partner was red in the face and showing
signs of fatigue. The band concluded the song with a flourish, and Nick
grabbed the young woman's hand, bowed over it and kissed it, then they
turned together to face the cheering crowd and both bowed in acceptance.



Part 30



Nick walked over to Natalie amid calls of admiration. He kissed her on the
cheek, his eyes glowing and a huge smile on his face. His partner came over,
a large smile own her own round face. Her long dark hair was pulled back in
a braid, and her blue eyes sparkled. "Thank you for the dance! That was more
fun than I've had in quite a while." She stuck out her hand, and Nick shook
it. "I'm Colleen O'Brien. My husband's the guy on the bodhran. Thanks
 again!" She walked over to the tall man that had been seated playing the
handheld Celtic drum.



Nick put his arms around Natalie. "Let's go check in. I hear the festivities
go on well into the night." He kissed her nose and she smiled. Keeping his
right arm around her shoulders, they passed through the friendly group of
people. Over to one side, Natalie saw a glass-blowing demonstration. She
made a mental note to return. She had the vampire's instinctive fear of
fire, but she also had an active curiosity. Suddenly she stopped.



"Nat? What's wrong?" Nick turned worried blue eyes to her.



"Nothing. I just realized that I have the time to learn to do.anything!
Nick, I can become a master at anything that takes time to learn! I can
learn anything I want!"  A smile was on her face, and Nick's face relaxed
into a grin. He started speaking softly, so as not to be overheard.



"Yeah, I remember when I had that realization. It was about five years after
I learned to play the clavichord. I was determined to master it, then
suddenly I had an epiphany that I had the opportunity to become the greatest
musician I could. It was about 1412 if I remember correctly." He chuckled at
the look of consternation on Natalie's face.



"Come on, let's get going." They continued walking toward the large brick
two-story building they had seen driving up.



Stopping at the car to grab their bags, they turned toward the large main
building. They walked up the wide stairway to the front door. Natalie had
been inside once, and was prepared for the interior. Nick stopped and looked
around. Every wall was covered in artwork, faces and murals peeking out.
Suns, moons, animals, figures both realistic and fantastical caught his
attention. He twitched with desire to wander the large halls of the building
and just absorb the shapes and colors on the walls. Natalie grinned,
recognizing the urge to explore in him. She tugged his arm and he looked
back at her, with a sheepish grin on his face. They proceeded up to the
front desk to sign in.



A young man in his late teens to early twenties led them to their room. Nick
had reserved a king suite, which featured a sitting area along with the huge
bed. They walked in, and both of them immediately felt at ease in the cheery
room. The comfortable furniture was in dark wood, with simple Mission style
lines. The walls were covered with whimsical murals, and Nick smiled in
delight at the painted moon over the back of the bed. He turned to tip the
bellboy, thanking him and grabbing their small suitcases. Natalie was
looking around, a vaguely puzzled expression on her face.



Part 31

"Nick, there's no armoire for a TV.and no phone!" She turned to him in
surprise.



He walked over to her and scooped her up, and began to twirl her around. She
laughed. He stopped, setting her on the bed, then lying down next to her,
his elbow bent, his hand holding up his head.



"You are right! I was ecstatic when I found out about this place BECAUSE it
has no phones, no televisions, no distractions. This is our anniversary, of
sorts, and I have no intention of letting anyone disturb us." He leaned over
and kissed her. Before their usual passion could blossom, he jumped up and
dragged her up.



"Come on, Dr. Natalie Lambert Knight, we are going to attend a wine
 tasting!"



Laughing, stood up. "A wine tasting?"



Nick grinned, his lighthearted playfulness etched on his features. "Yes
indeed. I have arranged for us to have a winery tour and a private tasting.
McMenamin's is actually known in the area for their red wines, ports, and
even brandy. Since I found out how much you seem to enjoy wine, I thought we
'd take advantage of it while we're here."



Natalie glanced at her watch. It was just after ten. They wandered out into
the cool evening air, and walked over to the winery. It was a medium-sized
building, and people were just leaving it. Nick leaned over to whisper.
"They normally close at ten, but I explained that it was our anniversary as
well as your birthday, and I offered to buy ten cases of each of their wines
for the Elysium, as well as pay for the overtime for the staff. They were
very accommodating."



Natalie laughed as they walked up to the door and Nick knocked. A stout
middle-aged man with thinning hair and hazel eyes opened the door.



"Mr. Lambert?" Nick nodded. "Welcome! We were just setting up your table. I'
m Jason Smith." He ushered them into the tasting room, and Natalie saw a
flight of six wines lined up on a table with candles burning in the middle
and between each bottle. There were twelve glasses set on the table, the
candlelight reflecting off the sides. There were barrels lining the walls,
and Natalie could smell the crush of grapes and the aroma of oak. She smiled
in contentment. Jason took them to their table and pulled out a chair for
Natalie, helped her sit, then pulled out Nick's. He then proceeded to pour
each of the wines, described them, and pulled out tasting cards for them.
When he had poured the last one, he excused himself, telling Nick to call
when he was done or if he needed anything. The vampires heard him retreat
into a small office and turn on a computer. They heard the sounds of a
computer video game turning on. Natalie laughed.



Nick opened his coat and took out a silver flask. He opened it and poured a
bit of blood in each of the glasses, then shut it again.  They picked up
their glasses, toasted one another, and began to sample the wines. Natalie
was still stunned by the perceptions of taste that she now had. The wine was
rich and smooth, each one with distinct undertones. They leisurely finished
each glass; made notes on the tasting cards, and poured more of the ones
they each like the best. (Natalie relished the Merlot, Nick preferred the
Pinot Noir.)



Part 32

At midnight, they called to Jason, thanked him for his time and courtesy and
Nick handed him a $200 tip. Jason's eyes bulged to the size of saucers as he
wished them a happy anniversary and Natalie a happy birthday. Jason promised
to have the remaining wine bottles recorked and delivered to their room.
They left the winery and went back to their room to change. Nick had one
surprise left for the night, since it was still young by their standards.



Nick wouldn't tell her where they were going, but he insisted that she put
on stout walking shoes and pull her hair back so that it wouldn't tangle.
Puzzled, she did as he asked. They left the quieting inn and went back to
the car, Nick carrying two raincoats. They pulled out of the driveway and
headed back onto the Scenic Highway heading east. They drove through the
moonlight for about ninety minutes, until they pulled off the highway and
Nick parked the car near the side of the road, the driveway in front of them
being barricaded.  Her eyes widened when she read the sign. They were at the
entrance to Multnomah Falls.



"Nick! We're going to the falls?" Her face lit up. She had seen pictures of
the falls, but had never been there.



He grinned and nodded. "Technically the park is closed, but I thought we
could fly up to the bridge, then if you want to, up to the top. Are you
game?"



She nodded her head in eagerness. They walked past the barrier and toward
the Lodge. There was one streetlight on, and the falls were roaring behind
the picturesque stone house. It looked like it had been plucked from a
Bavarian Village. The windows were all dark, of course, but between the
lamplight and the full moon, they could make out the gray stones, steeply
sloped roof, dormer windows and the chimney. The walked forward, passing to
the left of the Lodge. They walked onto a flagstone observation deck, and
Natalie's eyes were drawn upward. The 620-foot high waterfall was graced
with the Benson Bridge, a soaring archway of stone and metal filigree that
spanned the falls lower cataract. Nick took Natalie's hand and they flew to
the bridge, the spray from the falls raining on them. They were laughing
when they landed on the bridge, the water roaring in their ears. Natalie
turned around and saw the lodge and the gorge on the horizon. Nick put his
arms around her, enjoying the view with her. He rested his head on her
shoulder, enjoying the smell of her blood mingling with the clean scent of
the water behind them.



Part 33



He moved, kissing Natalie's cheek. "Come on, let's go to the top." He took
her hand and they turned around to gaze at the top of the falls. He squeezed
her hand, then they levitated, rising parallel to the water rushing down the
side of the cliff face. In a few moments they were at the top of the falls,
and Nick guided her to the observation platform. They turned around, once
more, to gaze at the panorama.



Nick pulled her into an embrace, both of them still looking out at the
moonlit vista. Trees framed their view, and they both stared out into the
night. Natalie briefly regretted not seeing the sight in the daylight, but
being with Nick made the regret a truly fleeting thought.



Finally tearing her eyes away from the view, she turned to look at the falls
themselves. Several small waterfalls tumbled over rocks in a pool that
drained over the side of the cliff.  There was a small cosmos of peace and
nature that hung around the swirling eddies. She felt as if she was
suspended in time.



Nick was growing to love this part of the world more every day, and eagerly
researched possible places to explore and share with Natalie. He hadn't been
this happy, ever. The only time that came close was the years he spent in
Toronto, but even that paled in comparison to his current life.



Nick pulled away and grinned at her. "You ready to go? I have one other stop
I want to make before we go back to the Inn." She nodded. "OK, now let's
really test your flying progress." He pointed off toward the road. "Think
you can make a straight shot from here to the car?"



Natalie frowned in concentration, finally spotting the entrance to the park,
knowing the car was just little past it, hidden by the trees. She nodded.



"I'll go first, just follow me." Nick jumped off the platform, for an
instant looking like a cliff diver as he soared down, then veered off to
head toward the car. Natalie inhaled to steady her nerves, and jumped after
him.



The feel of the spray on her face, the imminent impact with the earth caused
her heart to beat a few times, but she flew off at an angle, seeing now the
path that Nick had taken. She leveled out and came to rest a few feet from
the barrier. Nick was at the side of the car, and she could feel his
approval and pride flowing into her. She walked over to the car, a smile of
triumph on her face.



"Wow, that was quite a jump!" She laughed as she got into the passenger
seat, eager to see where Nick was taking her next.



Nick pulled back onto the Scenic Loop, and headed west. About thirty minutes
later, he pulled over to the right, and again parked the car. They got out,
and Natalie realized they were at Crown Point. They approached the Vista
House, both of them extending their senses for any signs of habitation. The
building was deserted and they flew to the observation deck that encircled
the octagonal structure to walk around and enjoy the panorama. The wind
whipped Natalie's hair around her face as she looked at the stunning view of
the gorge.



Part 34



Nick had seen many wonders over the centuries. He had been to rainforests,
deserts, hidden grottos, tropical islands, and glaciered mountain plateaus.
He had gone alone, with companions. He felt fortunate to have seen many of
the most amazing vistas and panoramas on the planet, experienced the majesty
nature had to offer. Gazing at the forested hills, the Columbia River Gorge
cutting a deep pathway in the hills of the Oregon and Washington earth, he
added this amazing area of natural beauty to his mental list.



Natalie's breath caught as she felt the sheer power of the view. They could
see for miles. She could feel Nick's awe and wonder vibrating along their
link. The sight brought tears to her eyes.  The full moon was shining on the
sliding waters of the Columbia River, and they could both feel the winds
that funneled through the narrow shoulders of the rocky cliffs.



"Oh Nick! This makes me believe in the existence of God."



They stood there for about forty minutes enjoying the freedom of the moment,
when Natalie suddenly got a mischievous grin on her face. She looked at
Nick, then took off into the air over the gorge, flying low. He grinned at
her before he followed her. They traveled in lazy circles over the deeply
sloped walls of the gorge, occasionally setting down among the trees to feel
and smell the clean night air before taking back to the sky.



Suddenly, Natalie's attention was by caught moonlight sparkling on water
amid the trees. She flew down and settled in a clearing. There was a small
waterfall tumbling over rocks into an almost perfectly round pond. Moss
lined the ground on one side of the pool, and the gentle music of the
waterfall of the rocks combined with the moonlight to create a forest glade
of stunning beauty. A deer looked up in startlement at her landing and
turned to disappear into the night. It was another magical place of water,
rock and trees.  Natalie felt her soul sigh in contentment and peace.
Whatever the nature of the vampire, the violence now lurking within her, she
also had the capacity to achieve great good. She had never questioned Nick's
quest for mortality, his reasoning behind leaving the life of the vampire
behind him. But, she knew that the advantages of the vampire also had merit.
The price was the blood lust. Only time would tell whether she would be able
to conquer the incessant craving for the hot liquid.



Part 35



Nick landed beside her, his own sense of awe echoing hers. She turned to
look at him. "I've never been anywhere so.peaceful and magical."



He looked into her eyes, the moonlight illuminating her lovely face. He
reached out a finger and stroked it along her cheek. "Do you have any idea
how beautiful you are? How important you are to me? You're my life. I waited
over seven hundred years to find you, then I almost lost you. The last seven
years have been hell. The only reason I didn't walk into the sun is because
I knew you'd never forgive me. I swear to you, if you had died, I wouldn't
have lived to see another night." His voice was low, emotion roughening it.



She smiled. "Nick, I've lived the last seven years with only one thing to
keep me going, and that was Nikki. I picked up the phone so many times to
call you, just to hear your voice. I wanted to tell you about Nikki, to ask
you to come to me, because the loneliness was so unbearable sometimes. I
cried myself to sleep, missing you, at least twice a month.  The only reason
I never finished the call was because of Nikki. I couldn't leave her without
a mother. I know for the longest time you considered this life a hellish
existence on earth, but I cannot imagine a night without you in it. Please
tell me you don't regret bringing me across?"



He gathered her into his arms. "Never. I will NEVER regret having you by my
side. My only regret is that it took me so long to realize what was right.
Forgive me?" He looked down into her face.



"There's nothing to forgive. If we hadn't parted, we wouldn't have a
daughter. We have eternity ahead of us to live, and love." She pulled his
face down to hers, to meet his lips. She kissed him and whispered "Make love
to me Nick, right here, right now."  In the magical moonlight of a forest
glade, the two vampires made love over and over.



Part 36



Two hours later, the lovers realized that they only had a short time until
dawn started breaking over the horizon. They rushed back to the car and took
off toward Troutdale and the Edgefield Inn. They pulled into the parking lot
and ran into the building just as Natalie started becoming unbearably
drowsy. The first rosy tints of dawn colored the eastern sky as Nick opened
the door to their room and strode over to shut the shades and pull the heavy
drapes across the high window.



Natalie crawled onto the bed.



"Nick, can you take my shoes off? I can barely stay.awake." Her words
drifted off as she succumbed to the slumber of the newly made fledgling.



Nick chuckled. He went to the door, put the "Do Not Disturb" sign on the
outside of it and locked it before returning to his ladylove.



Natalie woke up slowly the next night as the sun sank over the horizon. She
turned to find Nick gone, and sat up. She grinned when she realized she wasn
't wearing any clothing.



"Nick?" She called out, reaching to him through their link.



She felt the vibration of his awareness, and smiled. He was in the bathroom,
taking a shower. She threw the covers aside and got up to help scrub her
fiance's back. She opened the door and quickly moved inside. She tiptoed
over to the shower, and reached for the curtain, just as she heard Nick's
voice.



"I know you're there, Nat. Would you like me to wash your back?"



She laughed and stepped into the steamy shower.



Part 37

An hour later, Natalie was standing in rapt fascination watching the
glassblower. He was pulling the long rod out from the furnace, the glowing
bulb at the end starting to lengthen as he began to twirl the stem. He
reached out with a tool and started to shape the cylindrical piece. As it
cooled, he flattened out the bottom and continued to make a groove about a
third of the way down the glowing object. Finally, she recognized a bottle
being formed. Her mouth formed an O when she realized how amorphous the
piece had been until the very last moment. She could smell the very acrid
tang from the furnace, and even standing several feet away she could feel
the heat from the furnace prickling along her skin. A primal presence inside
of her was screaming at her to move away from the killing fire, but she
ignored the survival instinct of the vampire. Her practice sessions with
Nick were not only to control her blood cravings around mortals, but also to
impose her will on the vampire, to override the demands it made on her.
Nick was amazed at her level of control. He mused that it was attributable
to the fact that they were sharing blood regularly when they made love.



Nick had learned an amazing amount of control over his own vampire, in his
quest to conquer the killer instinct. Most vampires didn't make a conscious
effort to control their predatory instincts, instead gaining control over
time as they got older. It took a century or two for most vampires to be
able to quell their blood lust for more than a few hours. Natalie, in a few
short weeks, had learned to bind her killing instincts for almost a full
night. Nick was monitoring her as she watched the glass blowing
demonstration. Almost as strong as the blood lust was the survival instinct
of the vampire. It was one of the reasons fledglings fell asleep with the
approaching dawn.



Part 38



After Nick had almost killed Natalie seven years ago, he had put himself on
a strict regimen to get an even stronger control over his killing urges. He
had used human blood and his bond with LaCroix to ruthlessly quell the
predatory instinct in him. For a year, he and LaCroix had tested and bested
his limits. He had drawn on the power of his ancient master to rein in the
unleashed blood lust Nick experienced after his encounter with Natalie. He
and his master had shared blood almost daily, and that fact plus Nick's own
iron will made him one of the strongest vampires of any age younger than a
millennium old. Natalie was reaping the rewards of his hard work, and he
toyed with the idea of suggesting that she also share blood with LaCroix.
The only reason he hesitated was directly related to the conversation he had
had with Natalie the night Nikki had seen her first real vampire in her
"Grandpa Lucius". Natalie shared his reverence for human life, and an
abhorrence of killing. LaCroix, on the other hand, enjoyed the power and
amorality of the vampire. Nick wasn't sure what would happen to Natalie if
she shared blood with LaCroix. Natalie and LaCroix had very different
personalities, their own life experiences shaping their immortal
imperatives. He shook his head, and decided not to suggest it to Natalie,
especially since she was making such amazing progress on her own. He watched
her carefully to make sure that she didn't suffer a backlash from the tight
controls she was imposing on herself.



She felt no guilt or remorse for drinking human blood, knowing that it was
donated. Nick knew that he had to teach her how to hunt soon, and he had to
introduce her to animal blood. Hopefully if she learned to hunt animals and
conditioned her survival instincts to hunt animals instead of humans, if she
was ever in a situation that mandated her to do so, she would have the
instinct to find animals first. He had talked to several other vampire
masters over the last decade, and the few that agreed with him in principle
had all used this approach successfully.





The glassblowing demonstration concluded, and Natalie went to talk to the
glassblower. Nick watched her, smiling inwardly at her probing nature. She
was fearless, and relentless when she was pursuing an idea or an avenue of
study. Her keen mind was the first thing he had noticed about her, after her
delicate loveliness. He admitted to himself that the first time he had seen
her had been in part a strong physical attraction to her. But as they moved
from a scientific relationship into a guarded friendship, he had come to
value her analytical mind, and her tenacity. As they grew even closer, and
she allowed him to see her vulnerabilities, he had fallen in love with her.
He had struggled with his feelings, especially after the whole nightmare
with Roger Jameson. He had known her feelings for him long before he had
recognized his own, and had tried to keep her at arm's length for her own
protection. So many times he had been forced to go running to Janette when
his need for Natalie's soothing love had driven his vampire over the edge.



And now, they were together. Nothing had prepared him for the depth of his
feelings for this amazing person, or his humble acceptance of the fact that
she returned his feelings, just as strongly. She needed him just as
desperately as he needed her. The only regret he had had when he realized he
loved her as a mortal was the fact that he could never give her a child. And
now, even that precious gift was granted to him. He closed his eyes and sent
a silent prayer of thanks to a God he was sure didn't listen to him. When he
opened his eyes, Natalie was looking at him, a secretive smile on her face.
She started walking toward him. She slipped her arm around his waist and
they started moving toward the winery, where a tasting was in progress. They
had asked Jason if it would be acceptable if they brought the bottles from
the previous night that they had opened and enjoyed, and he had been
enthusiastic in his affirmatives. Nick had taken two "doctored" bottles over
to the winery a few minutes before Natalie had started watching the
glassblower.  He had carefully labeled the bottles with his name so that no
unlucky mortal got a glass of blood wine.



Part 39



He leaned down to kiss Natalie as they stopped in front of the winery.



"Did you find a new hobby?"



"Maybe. I haven't decided yet. It isn't as if I'm busy with my LIFE or
anything."



Nick let out a laugh at her caustic tone. He squeezed her against him. "You
have all the time in the world to pick up glassblowing. Tomorrow, we have a
precocious daughter, a swiftly approaching wedding, a new home to find, and
a research facility to set up waiting for us at home."



She grinned at him and stood on tiptoe to kiss him. "Yes, I know all those
things. And I truly do appreciate this respite from it all. And, I love and
appreciate YOU!"



On that resounding note they stepped up to the small table where their
bottles were waiting for them. Jason had seen them come in and had removed
the bottles from the refrigerator. He had quickly come to enjoy the young
couple, and not for the generous tip they had given him. They were obviously
very much in love, and it radiated from them, making anyone around them feel
good just    basking in their glow. They had said it was their anniversary
celebration, but he wondered how long they had been together. They had both
an easy camaraderie as well as a glow of newfound love about them. It was a
puzzle that he enjoyed speculating on.



He walked up to them, and pulled the stoppers out of their bottles and
proceeded to pour them each a glass.



"Are you enjoying your stay?"



Nick answered, a huge smile in place. "Immensely. It's been years since we
had any quality time alone together." He glanced at Natalie and they smiled
lovingly at one another.



Aha! They had been together for a long time. Jason wondered what the secret
to their mutual joy in each other was. He had been married to his wife for
over seventeen years and although he loved her, the spark of passion
emanating from these two was only a warm ember in his life.



"May I ask the two of you a personal question?"



Nick frowned, but Natalie smiled at Jason.



"Sure. I won't guarantee we'll have an answer, but I'll try."



Jason took a deep breath. "If you two have been together for a long time,
how do you remain so.in love with each other? You look and act like
newlyweds."



To his surprise, Nick threw back his head and laughed, and Natalie started
giggling so hard she had to press her face into Nick's chest. Jason smiled,
not understanding the joke.



Finally getting his mirth under control, Nick was able to reply. "Well, the
truth of it is that our wedding is next month. Natalie and I have known each
other for about fifteen years, but we just got back together a few weeks
ago." He looked down at her, tenderness suffusing his expression. "I almost
lost her seven years ago. I'll never let her go again."  He looked back up
at Jason. "This anniversary is actually the anniversary of our first
meeting, which was on Nat's birthday."



Part 40



Jason finally understood the lovers. They had been given a second chance and
knew it for the precious gift that it was. He smiled and left them to enjoy
their wine, vowing to find some time and a way to rekindle his own marriage.



Nick and Natalie finished the wine, mingled with the other guests, and saw
Colleen and her husband Steve in the courtyard. They went over to talk to
the other couple, pleased to see some familiar faces. At eleven, Colleen and
Steve said their goodbyes, inviting them to come back at any time. Colleen
slyly told Nick she could always use a good dance partner since her first
choice was always too busy. Steve just rolled his eyes as Natalie and Nick
laughed.



Nick and Natalie decided to stroll along the grounds of the 38-acre estate.
They would be checking out at three AM, to return to the city and their
hectic lives.  These last few hours were a precious gift to themselves.



The moon was still full, but there were ragged wisps of clouds scudding
across the sky. Natalie could tell by press of the air on her now sensitive
skin that rain was on the way. She didn't mind, having gotten used to the
long rainy months in the area. She hoped Nick would get accustomed to it.
Since they lived in the night, it made much less of an impact on them now.
She sighed in contentment, still enchanted with the turn of her life.



"Penny for your thoughts.



She looked over at Nick, and reached up to touch his face.



"I'm just still amazed that you're here, I'm here, we're getting married,
the whole thing. "



Nick chuckled. "Well, Nat, you're stuck with me for eternity. I'm sure in a
few hundred years you'll want a vacation by yourself."



She shook her head, still trying to fathom the concept of being alive in a
few hundred years. She grinned as they stepped onto the immaculate lawn of
the golf course.  She looked around at the silver expanse of lawn, able to
see the different shades of green in the grass, and sense the nocturnal
animals and insects that mortals discounted.



They wandered over the mounds of the golf course, and like children in a
sandbox they jumped into the sandpit and attempted to make a sand castle.
Without water, their efforts fell apart. They laughed, put their shoes on
and continued to walk. At the edge of the golf course Nick was surprised to
see a tall tree that looked vaguely familiar. He wandered over to it, noting
the huge puff of pale pink flowers, the bouquet the size of his head. He
frowned, trying to place the species of the spindly-limbed tree. It had
oblong, waxy dark green leaves clustered like palm fronds. He turned to
Natalie.



Part 41



"What type of tree is that? It looks familiar but I can't place it."



"It's a rhododendron."



He turned to her, a look of shock on his face. "It can't be. They don't GROW
that big."



She nodded. "Really, that's a rhody. They grow huge around here. We can
drive up to the Weyerhauser Rhododendron Test Gardens if you'd like, near
Tacoma."



He looked from Natalie to the tree, still skeptical of her assessment. He
shrugged and they continued their meander.  Nick was still cataloguing the
scents of the night air. In the city, he hadn't had much chance to identify
and categorize the lush scents of the landscape. One scent was overlaying
all others, and it had a spicy cinnamon scent to it. It was pleasant, but he
wasn't sure what plant it was. He had smelled it before, but never as
pervasively.



"Nat, do you know what plant is producing that cinnamon smell? It's really
nice, but I can't place it. I think I've smelled it before, but never this
strongly."



She wrinkled her nose. "I think that's blackberry. The vines are just
starting to come into season. The berries come out in July and August."



Again, he looked at her in surprise. "Blackberries? Huh."



She reached up and kissed him. "I think I'm going to really enjoy spring as
a vampire. I LOVE the smell of fresh flowers."

He had looked at some of the local botanical sites, and the rose gardens
that gave Portland its nickname were plentiful, but wouldn't bloom until
June at the earliest. He already had a list of places around the city and
surrounding area that he wanted to explore with Natalie.



They continued walking, just enjoying the extensive grounds and the chance
to be together. Too soon, however, Nick turned them back toward the hotel.
It was time for them to leave, their short idyll over. The time had given
them some much needed "breathing room" from the obligations of daily life,
but Nick knew Natalie was anxious to get home and see Nikki, and they still
had so many plans to finish.



Part 42



They returned to the Inn, packed up their suitcase and the special valise
Nick had brought to carry their blood (now holding two bottles of blood
wine), and fondly looked at the room. They walked down to the front desk,
where a young man was reading a textbook on ancient philosophy. Nick glanced
at it and grinned.



"You should really get the next edition. It's got some good commentary in
it."



The startled night clerk looked up; he hadn't heard Nick and Natalie.
"Excuse me?"



"I was just saying that the third edition of that textbook has some
additional commentary that really sheds light on some of the Sophist
arguments."



The clerk frowned. "Are you a professor?"



Nick grinned. "I have been. I'm thinking about it." He continued on, "we'd
like to check out, please. The name is Lambert." He handed his credit card
to the clerk.



"It's the middle of the night."



"Yes, I realize that, but we need to get going. I understand you'll have to
charge us for the full day. It's fine."



Natalie was grinning, remembering a similar scene a few weeks ago at the
Heathman between LaCroix and the night clerk at the posh hotel. Nick was a
much nicer customer than his father.



The clerk was shaking his head and frowning, obviously convinced that Nick
had a few screws loose. Nick looked back at Natalie and winked at her. She
smiled at him as he turned back to sign the bill and retrieve his credit
card.



As they turned to leave the Inn, Natalie sighed in contentment.



Nick felt the peace flowing through her. "Happy, Love?" He put his empty arm
around her shoulders.



"You have no idea. You know, I've never seen YOU this content. In Toronto
you were almost always moody."



He frowned. "Was I really that bad?"



She snorted. "Remember your nickname of 'The Knightmare'"?



He chuckled. "Touche. But I didn't have everything I had been wishing for
all my long, lonely life back then." He kissed her temple. "I do now."



Part 43



They had reached the car, stowed the bags and got in. Nick still kept the
top down since the clouds weren't piled high enough to indicate imminent
rain. Nick pulled out of the parking lot and they headed back to the Scenic
Highway. After a few minutes, Natalie spoke again, hesitancy in her voice.



"Nick, I guess now is as good a time as any to bring this up."



"Bring up what?"



"Well, I haven't asked and you haven't mentioned it, but what about your
quest to regain your mortality? I've still been working on a cure these last
few years."



He glanced at her, surprised. "You have?"



She nodded.



"And? Have you found something that will do the trick or any promising
breakthroughs?"



"Well, not exactly, but the AIDS and HIV research I started doing after the
fever has turned up some really fascinating avenues. I think I could
probably have something inside of ten, or twenty years at the most."



Nick didn't say anything, but got a thoughtful look on his face.



"Nick? I guess I'm asking if you want me to continue researching a cure. Now
that I'm a vampire too, and we're together, I'm not sure I WANT to go back
to being mortal."



Nick carefully considered his next words. "Nat, I think that if you want to,
you should still continue your research. Right now, you're right. I'm happy
with our lives as they are. I still would like to see the sun, and eat real
food, but with you beside me, all that seems much more insignificant. Do you
understand?"



He felt relief flooding their link. He glanced over at her again, and saw
that she had a smile on her face. He reached a hand up to stroke against her
cheek. "Feel better with that answer? Obviously this has been bothering
 you."



She nodded. "You have no idea how relieved I am."



"Well, actually, Nat, I do. Your relief was really palpable." He grinned at
her and she laughed in response.



He slipped a CD into the disc player and they sped through the early morning
hours toward home.



Part 44



The following evening Natalie, Nikki and Nick were looking at houses with
Julia. After talking about it extensively, they had decided to bring Nikki
with them as they looked at houses, to give her the chance not only to give
her opinion, but also to get her used to the idea of moving to a new home.
They had seen over two dozen in the three weeks since they had contacted
Julia. As an agent, Julia was patient, especially when she realized that
cost really wasn't an issue, and that if she was tolerant with her clients
she would reap a hefty commission.



They drove up a long driveway that wound among the dark evergreens, and both
Nick and Natalie breathed in the woodsy resinous scent.



The driveway curved around one final time to open up on a large, three-story
house standing in a huge clearing. There was a large pond in the front of
the house, and a lone duck was gliding along the surface when they pulled up
and parked the car. There were no lights on, for the current owners had
already moved. Nikki saw the duck.



"Daddy, look! A duck!" He was sitting next to her in the back seat.



"I see it, Honey. I wonder if it lives here?"



The house had visual impact and appeal, with steeply gabled roofing on a
combination wood and stone front and large floor-to-ceiling windows. They
walked up to the front door, and Julia inserted her master key in the box at
the side of the door. She opened the large glass door and turned on the
lights. They walked in, and Natalie immediately knew this was the house for
her. The hardwood parquet floor reflected the lights from the cathedral
ceiling, and a staircase over to one side traveled up to a railed balcony
overlooking the front hallway. The balcony was supported by tall slender
columns which divided the spacious living room and dining room. She turned
to Nick.



"Nick."



He smiled at her and grabbed her hand, bringing it to his lips. He didn't
say anything but they continued to wander in. The living room was carpeted
in a thick cream-colored Berber, the large windows overlooking the pond and
winding driveway. Through an archway created by the columns and the walkway
of the balcony was a formal dining room. They walked into it and Julia
turned on the light. They gasped to see a stained glass window, recessed
into the ceiling, come to life. Realistic halogen lights behind it
illuminated the Tiffany-style decoration.



Part 45



Through a doorway at the end of the room was the kitchen. They walked
through and saw that it was equipped with all modern conveniences, with
marble countertops and oak cabinetry. The floor was oak hardwood, and there
was an island in the middle of the room, effectively separating it from the
breakfast nook. On the far side of the breakfast nook a half-wall ran, and
on the other side was a large family room, with a huge circular
glass-enclosed fireplace in one corner. There was obviously space for a
large plasma-screen television on the wall, and built in bookshelves
designed to hold not only books but also an entertainment center. There was
a stairway at the far end of the room, which they took upstairs. They were
in a short hallway, with bedrooms on either side. They looked into the
bedrooms and Nikki ran into one of them in delight. It was painted to look
like an underwater scene, and there was a picture of a mermaid on one wall,
curved around a statue of a handsome man. It was obviously a scene from Hans
Christian Andersen's book as opposed to the Disney movie. But Nikki was
entranced.



"Momma, Daddy, Look! It's a mermaid!" She ran over to them and grabbed their
hands to pull them over to the mural on the wall.



Nick and Natalie looked at each other and smiled. Nick squatted down next to
Nikki.



"Sweetie, would you be happy living here? If this was your bedroom? We'd
bring all your toys and books, but you'd be here instead of at Mommy's
house.



Her brow furrowed in concentration for a minute as she thought about it.
"Would Grandpa Lucius and Aunt Janette and Arthur still come to visit us
here?"



Nick nodded. "They will always come to us, wherever we live. I promise."



A big smile cracked her face and she nodded.



Natalie joined Nick at her level. "Are you sure, Sweetie? We want you to be
happy here."



Nikki nodded again, still smiling. Nick hugged her and picked her up. He
turned to Julia.



"I'll guess we'll be making an offer." He grinned and kissed Nikki, who
giggled.



Julia smiled. "Don't you want to see the rest of the house? You had asked
about a place for a nanny; this house happens to have a mother-in-law suite
with it's own kitchen and bathroom."



Nick and Natalie looked at each other and said in unison. "We'll take it."



Part 46



Preparations were made to move within a week. Nick didn't even haggle with
the asking price, which thrilled Julia to no end. The house was actually
priced quite competitively for the market.



Nick had found a contractor to put the special steel shutters in that he had
had installed in the loft. They left the mother-in-law suite, Nikki's room
and the family room without the shutters. There were blinds on all the
windows, and Nick made sure that they were heavy enough for him to enter
during the day if necessary. He had the blinds installed in every room as
well as the shutters put on remote controls that could be accessed from
panels in the halls.



Janette and Arthur came over to help them pack, mostly Nikki's belongings.
She refused to allow her Belle dress to be packed, insisting that the adults
carry it for her. They sighed, but it was the only difficulty they had with
her, so indulged her.

They had arranged to stay at the Elysium the day the movers came, keeping
Nikki with them for the first time since Natalie had been brought across.
Nick played with his daughter indoors all day while Natalie slept. As soon
as the sun had set, Natalie woke up and the three of them went out to see a
movie. Instead of going back to the apartment over the club, they went to
their new house. Nikki was excited and bounced around when Arthur appeared
from the guest room down the hall from her. She ran from room to room,
seeing her familiar furnishings from home, and ecstatic with her new
bedroom. She insisted on showing Arthur every room.



Nick kept an eye on her while Arthur and Natalie went to the kitchen to pour
blood wine for the adults, and make hot chocolate for Nikki.  Arthur was
going to help out with her at night, and he had arranged for a woman he knew
from Portland State to come over during the day. She was pursuing a degree
in Child and Family Studies, and was eager to work with a child that was
going through the transitions in her life that Nikki was. Arthur had known
her for several years, and trusted her. His recommendation was good enough
for Nick and Natalie, and they had arranged for her to earn some credits for
her time with them, treating it as an internship as well as paying her for
it. She was coming over at ten to meet Nikki, Nick and Natalie. Natalie was
still a little nervous having a stranger caring for Nikki, but she knew it
was necessary. She still hadn't heard from Amy about whether she was willing
to be a nanny for them, and she still had a few weeks of school left until
she graduated. She wanted to like the intern, but so much had been going on
in her life that she hadn't had a chance to really talk to Arthur about her
as a person. As they were waiting for the milk to heat for Nikki's hot
chocolate, she initiated a conversation with Arthur.  She still felt closer
to him than anyone in the community other than Nick.



Part 47



"Arthur, how do you know Jennifer?"



"We met at a seminar her first year at PSU. She was volunteering at the
family center, and Jeremy and I were just starting to explore adoption
options. There was a program on alternative family structures, and she came
over to talk to us after the speaker panel."



"She supports alternative family life?"



He nodded. "Personal experience. She was raised on a commune in eastern
Oregon in the early seventies. She's very open minded and easy going. She
was one of my main supports when Jeremy died."



Natalie smiled. "Well, I don't think you're going to get much more
alternative than vampires!"



They both laughed as the doorbell rang. Arthur went to answer the bell,
expecting it to be Jennifer. He opened the door and hugged her. He ushered
her into the kitchen to meet Natalie.



"Natalie Knight, this is Jennifer Kowalski. Jennifer, this is Natalie."



Jennifer smiled and held out her hand, and Natalie took it. Jennifer was in
her mid-thirties with short brown hair and hazel eyes. She was dressed in
jeans, a sweatshirt and Birkenstocks. She was of medium height and build,
with an open expression that caused Natalie to feel comfortable with her.



"Hi Doctor Knight. I really appreciate the chance to meet you and your
family and hopefully help you and your daughter with the transitions going
on right now. I'm sure it's very difficult trying to balance everything!"



Natalie smiled. "Nikki and I have been alone for most of her life. Nick and
I knew each other years ago before I moved to Portland and had Nikki. When
we recently got back in contact and decided to get married, Nikki was
ecstatic. Nick comes with a fairly large extended family, and due to some
health issues he works at night, as do I. We really need someone to help
keep Nikki occupied during the daylight hours. She's in pre-school and
daycare during the week, and on weekends she stays up with us. I don't know
if Arthur mentioned it, but she's a bit precocious. She's a sweet little
girl, but also very inquisitive and she can be a handful. Luckily, she's
thrilled with all the new family members she's been meeting through Nick."



Jennifer smiled. "Sounds like she's a wonderful person. How does she
interact with your fiancé?"



"Nikki's always known about Nick, and that he was special to me. She's
always had vague ideas about him being her father, and when he came back
into my life she was happy about it and took it all in stride. They've
bonded just as strongly as any father and daughter that I've ever known."



"May I ask you a personal question? You don't have to answer it if you feel
it's inappropriate or none of my business. I take it Nick isn't her
biological father?" Natalie shook her head. "Does she know anything about
her birth father?"



Part 48



Natalie hesitated. "My relationship with her birth father was extremely
brief. We met while both of us were grieving for the loss of our partners.
Nick had been forced to leave me due to some personal issues, and her father
had just lost his wife in an alcohol-related car accident. He took a
position overseas before I even knew I was pregnant. I talked to my
counselor at the time, and I thought long and hard about my decision to be a
single mother.  I've never regretted my decision, and when Nikki gets older
if she decides she wants to contact him, I'll support her and help her any
way I can. I've read quite a bit of research done on children raised by
mothers that chose to go the route of artificial insemination, as well as
adoptees of both open and closed adoptions, and I made my decision based on
what I've read. Nick plans to legally adopt Nikki after our wedding."



Jennifer nodded her head. "Thank you. I just felt it important to know how
much Nikki knows or understands about her environment."



Arthur interjected at that point. "Speaking of Nick and Nikki, why don't we
go up to introduce you?"



Natalie offered Jennifer a drink, which she declined. Arthur carried Nikki's
hot chocolate and his glass of blood wine, and Natalie carried two glasses
of blood wine, one each for her and Nick. They took the stairs off the
family room up to Nikki's bedroom, where Nick was sitting in a rocking chair
reading to Nikki, who was cuddled on his lap, her dark curls resting against
his shoulder. He had heard the other adults' approach, and had just finished
up the chapter when they entered the room. He closed the book and put it on
the small table next to the rocking chair, then kissed Nikki's cheek before
putting her on her feet and standing up.



Natalie entered first, walking over to Nick and handing him his blood wine.
Nikki saw the steaming mug in Arthur's hand and smiled in anticipation. He
walked over to her and offered the cup to her, cautioning her to be careful
of the hot contents. She nodded and carefully took it in her small hands and
made a show of blowing on it.



Nick squatted down and whispered to her. She looked at him then at Arthur.



"Thank you!"



He grinned. "You're welcome. Would you like to meet my friend Jennifer?"



Nikki nodded, and Jennifer immediately dropped cross-legged to the floor.



"Hello, your name's Nikki, isn't it?" Nikki nodded. "I'm Jennifer. I hear
your favorite movie is Beauty and the Beast. That's one of mine too."



Nikki broke into a huge grin. "Do you want to see my dress like Belle's? I'm
going to wear it for Mommy and Daddy's wedding!" She carefully put her hot
chocolate down on the floor, then ran to her closet to pull out her
cherished dress. She brought it back and started happily chattering about
her dress and the movie.



Nick grinned and walked over to put his arm around Natalie's shoulders,
taking a sip of his drink.



Nikki grabbed Jennifer's hand and pulled her over to her play area and
immediately started involving her visitor in a scenario with her Disney
dolls from Beauty and the Beast. Jennifer proceeded to play the role of Mrs.
Potts and Lumiere, much to Nikki's delight.



Nick leaned over and whispered in Natalie's ear. "I think this might just
work out." He kissed her temple as she nodded and leaned into him.



Part 49



Three weeks later, Natalie called Sarah and Amy to talk about the wedding
and to finalize their dresses.



Sarah answered the phone. "Hello".



"Hey Sarah, it's Natalie. Did you get the dresses and the name of the woman
to finish them up?"



"Hi, Nat. Yes, we did. We took them in yesterday, she says she'll need one
more fitting and they should be done by late next week."



"Great. I just wanted to make sure. You should see the house, we've finally
got everything put away. Nick got his furniture from Boston sent last week
and it's really starting to feel like a home. Nikki is having a blast. Are
you sure you guys don't want to stay here when you come down for the
wedding? We've got tons of room."



"Actually, I was going to suggest that maybe Amy stay with you. She's been
giving a lot of thought to your offer, and I think she's leaning toward
doing it. Since the wedding is after her graduation, and you and Nick will
be leaving on your honeymoon, we thought maybe if she stayed with Nikki for
a few days, that might give her an idea of what to expect. Roy and I thought
we could drive both cars and leave one of them with her until you get back
from your honeymoon. How does that sound?"



"That's a great idea. But you don't have to give her the other car; we have
two, and since we'll be out of town, there's no reason she can't use my car.
Let me talk to Nick about it and see what he has to say."



"Sounds good. Amy's bummed that you won't be able to come to the graduation
ceremony, but she understands that with everything going on with the new job
and the wedding that you're swamped."



"Thanks so much for explaining it so that she understands! I'm sorry to miss
it, but we actually thought we'd throw a little celebration here for her
before the wedding."



"Nat, you don't need to do that, honestly. It's your wedding. We're there
for you."



"I know, but the wedding is also a joining of our families, and Nick and I
want to include you in that too. Please, let us just throw her a party."



"OK, if that's what you really want. I'm sure she'll be thrilled. I can't
wait to meet all these family members of Nick's. For some reason I thought
he was pretty alone in the world."



"Well, the truth of the matter is that when we were in Toronto, he wasn't
getting along with his family at all. They've mended their fences since
then, and it's been really good for us, especially Nikki. And I'm really
happy things are going well. We'll see you when you get here. Call me if you
need anything. My love to Amy, Roy and the boys."





Part 50



She hung up the phone, musing on the conversation and the turn of events
that had occurred in the last ten years. Who would have thought that she
would not only come to care for LaCroix, but that she would consider Janette
a friend! She smiled as she went to get ready to meet with the
representative from the de Brabant Foundation about the new research
facility.



After she and Nick had finished all the details of the move into the new
house, she had bent her efforts to finding a location suitable for the
research facility.  Since they had moved to West Linn, she had started
looking farther south. There was actually a very promising site in Norwood.
A biotech company had gone out of business with the dot com downturn a few
years ago, and they had built a state-of-the-art facility. It was fairly
small, but Natalie's proposal for a research facility called for a very
small, dedicated team working on blood-borne diseases including HIV and
AIDS.  Nick had also told her that there were several vampire scientists
that had been trying to unravel the mystery of the vampire for a few
decades, and that she might be able to lure them to the facility. Her
reputation for curing the fever in Toronto made her highly reputable in the
vampire scientific community. He had been very supportive, letting her do
all the work on the proposal, and offering his advice or suggestions only if
she asked.



Part 51



Mortals carried out most of the operations of the Foundation, but Nick had
added a few vampires to the staff over the decades.  It had amazed her to
find out about the different careers and interests of her new species. She
had only had congress with Nick and his family, and hadn't realized that
vampires were just as varied in their pursuits as humans, with the exception
of requiring third shift hours if they held jobs down. She started thinking
of the industries that had 24-hour or nighttime business, and it was
interesting to find out that there were several vampires in Portland that
ran an all-night diner, and that all the night staff were members of the
Community.



Now that Nick was "back in the fold" as it were, she was amazed to learn the
high standing he had in the vampire political and social hierarchy. His age
and affiliation with LaCroix and Janette made him a member of the upper
echelons of vampire society.  He was still trying to determine what he
wanted to do for an occupation in Portland. He had closed his small private
investigation business in Boston, after referring his few cases to a
colleague. He had only been there for two years, and hadn't formed any
substantial ties. He had sold his condominium in Watertown for a nice
profit, and she knew he felt no regrets about leaving. Nick Lambert was a
man much different than Nick Knight. He was no longer an unhappy,
unfulfilled man. He still had his principles, for which most vampires
considered him odd. His reverence of mortal life, his choice to avoid human
blood, the fact that he was marrying a woman in a permanent relationship all
marked him as different from his kind, but for the first time since she had
known him he was content. Although she had missed him terribly in the
intervening years, she had formed a life for herself, and tried to give
meaning to her life, for Nikki's sake if nothing else. Nick had just been
existing. She now knew that he would have walked into the sun upon learning
of her death, if it had been ten, twenty, or even fifty years. That thought
sent a chill up her spine. She thanked God, the universe, the Fates and any
other entities daily for the life that they now had.





She gathered her notes, packed her laptop, and went to find Nick for this
meeting. At first he had encouraged her to go to the meeting with the
Operations Director alone, but she had talked him into coming with him. The
Director didn't know that Nick Lambert was also the Chairman of the
Foundation. He had received a letter from Mr. de Brabant asking him to meet
with Dr. Knight and Mr. Lambert to discuss a new research facility in the
US.  Mr. de Brabant was known to be an eccentric recluse, who took a
hands-off approach to the running of the organization, and very few of even
the board members had ever met him.



Part 52



She found Nick tucking Nikki into bed. She walked over to the bed, where
Nick was just finishing reading a story from the Blue Fairy Book. She leaned
down and kissed Nikki on the forehead. Nick did the same.  "Good night, ma
Petite."



"Bon nuit, Papa." She smiled.



Natalie stared at her. "Honey, how much French has Daddy taught you?"



"Bon nuit Maman." She giggled. Natalie smiled at her and shook her head.



"Good night Sweetie."



She and Nick walked out, closing the door behind them. Arthur was staying
with her while they were gone. He was watching TV in the family room. He
looked up as they descended the stairs.



"Is the imp asleep?" He grinned at them.



Nick cocked his head, listening to his daughter's heartbeat and breathing as
she drifted off to sleep. "She is..now."



"Nick, come on. We need to meet Dr. Vander Neff in twenty minutes." Natalie
started for the front door.



Nick waved at Arthur as he followed Natalie out to his car. He tossed her
the keys and she slid into the driver's seat. She would never have bought
herself a sports car as a mortal, but she really enjoyed driving Nick's
convertible when they didn't have Nikki. They kept the top up since it had
been raining on and off all day, but it still handled like a dream. She
drove down the winding driveway out onto the main streets.



"Nick, since Dr. Vander Neff doesn't know that you're Nicholas de Brabant,
what exactly does he expect from you? What does he think is your interest in
this research facility?"



Nick grinned at her. "Well, he was told that I'm a security expert hired by
the Foundation to check out the facility's alarm system."



"Gotcha. This building was built only three years ago, and has a pretty good
system from what the agent told me."



"I read the schematics, you're right. But their lack of funding is our good
luck. I don't think there'll be a problem. Your proposal is well written,
and I know for a fact that the Foundation has been considering getting into
AIDS research for the last five years."



Natalie bit her lip. "Nick, are you saying that as my partner or as the
Chairman of the Board? I really want this to happen because of the work I'm
doing, not because you pulled strings."



Nick grabbed her right hand and brought it to his lips, kissing her
knuckles. "My love, I promise you that whatever happens in this endeavor is
due to your own efforts. I know it's important to you to be your own person,
and it's one of the things I've always loved about you. I promise."



She flashed him a brilliant smile. "Thanks, Nick. That means a lot to me."



Part 53



They drove on in silence until Natalie turned off the main road into a small
park-like setting. As she pulled up to the front door, she saw the leasing
agent, John, talking to Dr. Vander Neff. She parked the car next to John's
SUV and she and Nick got out of the car.



Dr. Vander Neff was in his fifties, with a receding hairline and intelligent
dark eyes. He looked at Natalie as she approached and his eyebrows went up.
He had been expecting someone older than the attractive woman that was
walking toward him, confidence in her every step. He glanced at the man
following her, and was less surprised.



Natalie walked up to them. "Hi John." She turned toward Dr. Vander Neff. "I'
m Dr. Natalie Knight." She held out her hand, and he shook it.



"It's a pleasure, Dr. Knight. Your credentials are very impressive. I'm sure
OHSU was disappointed to lose you."



She smiled. "Thank you, but everyone needs to move on. I've gone through
some recent changes in my life, and it was time for a new challenge. This is
Nick Lambert, he's a security consultant here to inspect the alarm system."
The two men exchanged pleasantries and shook hands.



John led the way up to the entrance. Natalie had her laptop case with her
printed proposal in one hand. Nick was also carrying a laptop and a copy of
the blueprints and schematics for the building. He was actually along to
give Natalie moral support, although he really did want to check out the
structure.



John took them on a short tour of the facilities, and Dr. Vander Neff was
suitably impressed. After they had seen the building, Natalie took him aside
to go over her proposal, and Nick cornered John to ask him questions about
the building's security system.



Ninety minutes later, the vampires were shaking hands goodbye with the
mortals, with Dr. Vander Neff suitably impressed not only with Natalie's
research and business proposal, but also with Nick's expertise in modern
security practices and systems. He had made suggestions for ways to upgrade
the facility with a minimum of cost, and his assessment had joined Natalie's
proposal in the Director's briefcase. Nick was fairly certain that the
Foundation would approve the endeavor.



As they pulled out of the parking lot, Nick suggested they head to the
Elysium for a while. Arthur had planned to stay at the house the entire
night and the following day, so Nikki was well guarded. It had been a few
weeks since he and Natalie had been out socially with their own kind. She
enthusiastically agreed, being in good spirits from their meeting. She
turned the car north and forty minutes later they were parking two blocks
away from the club.



Part 54



As they were walking toward the club, hand in hand, a pair of teenaged boys
stepped out of an alley holding guns. Nick and Natalie stopped.



"Give us your wallets and purse. Now."  They started waving the guns around.



Both vampires could hear their elevated heart rates caused by the adrenaline
pumping through their mortal bodies.



Natalie was outraged and could feel her eyes starting to get gold flecks in
them. Nick could feel her anger along their link, and sent waves of calming
reassurance toward her.  He locked on the heartbeat of the boy that had
spoken and started to capture his gaze in his own.



Natalie followed his lead on the other boy. She had never tried hypnosis on
anyone other than Nikki, and that usually only to help her daughter sleep
after one of her infrequent nightmares about the kidnapping. She listened to
the adolescent's heartbeat and captured his eyes.



Nick started speaking in a low monotone. Natalie mentally directed her
subject's attention aurally to Nick's words, and felt a faint moment of
dizziness when she did, almost like she felt someone else in her head. She
ignored it as Nick included the second boy in his efforts.



"Put the gun down. You don't want to hurt us."



The boys dropped their guns. Natalie walked forward and retrieved them,
never taking her gaze off her prey.



"Go home. Tomorrow you will turn yourselves in to the police."



Both boys murmured his commands and turned mechanically away. When they were
gone, Natalie let out a disgusted growl.



"Idiots." Her eyes had returned to their regular blue. "What are we going to
do with these guns, Nick?" She looked at the handguns she was holding.



"We'll give them to Janette to dispose of. She has a network of agents set
up for that sort of thing." Natalie put the guns in her shoulder bag, and
they continued on to the club.



"Nick, did you feel something.odd when you were hypnotizing them?"



"No. What do you mean 'them'? You were holding the second boy."



"No, I wasn't. I caught his heartbeat then passed the hypnotic link to you."



Nick stopped and looked at her. "Huh? What do you mean you 'passed the link'
to me?"



"I mean I took his attention and then I melded it with our link and just
gave him to you. Didn't you feel it?"



Nick's expression was quizzical as he tried to fathom what she was talking
about.



Part 55



As they walked in they were assaulted with the pounding beat of a German
Industrial band. Natalie winced at the sound, but Nick took her hand and
ignored it, leading her down the long hallway into the club. She looked
around, feeling the distinct energy of vampires around her, hearing the
murmuring of several dozen mortal heartbeats over the din of the music. She
could feel her hunger stirring within her, but she concentrated on
controlling it.  Still walking forward, Nick glanced back over his shoulder
at her and threw a wink and a grin at her. He sent a surge of approval along
their link.



As they approached the bar, Natalie smiled at Alma. The attractive blonde
vampire immediately pulled out two goblets and a bottle of bloodwine and
poured it into one of them. She reached for another bottle of cow blood wine
and poured it into the other glass, and by the time the couple had gotten to
the bar, their drinks were ready. Nick smiled thanks at Alma, then took both
glasses and handed Natalie the human vintage. Natalie smiled at him, and
took a sip of the beverage, savoring the emotions, tastes and smell of the
donor mixed with the wine.



The pounding German beat came to a close, and after a few seconds of
silence, a haunting piano melody sounded, and a delicate soprano voice
floated out of the speakers.



how can you see into my eyes like open doors

leading you down into my core

where i've become so numb

without a soul, my spirit sleeping somewhere cold

until you find it there and lead. it. back. home



The words hit Nick and Natalie at the same time. They put their drinks on
the bar and Nick led her to the dance floor. As the beat changed to a heavy
bass, they moved onto the floor and started dancing sensuously together,
their bodies molded one to the other.



Part 56



wake me up

wake me up inside (can't wake up)

wake me up inside ( save me)

call my name and save me from the dark

(wake me up)

bid my blood to run

(can't wake up)

before i come undone

(save me)

save me from the nothing i've become



Nick ran his hands over Natalie's body, licking her neck as she threw her
head back in ecstasy.



now that i know what i'm without--

you can't just leave me

breathe into me and make me real

bring. me. to life



wake me up

wake me up inside (can't wake up)

wake me up inside ( save me)

call my name and save me from the dark

(wake me up)

bid my blood to run

(can't wake up)

before i come undone

(save me)

save me from the nothing i've become

bring me to life

(I've been living inside. there's nothing inside)

bring me to life



frozen inside without your touch without your love--- -darling, only you are
the life among the dead



The desperate words and music beat against them, as the passion between the
two rose in palpable waves. They swayed in time to the music and Nick wove
his hands through Natalie's hair, pulled her head backwards and brought his
lips down to hers in a savage kiss, his tongue exploring every corner of her
mouth, stroking her emerging fangs and causing her to growl deep in her
chest.



all this time i can't believe i couldn't see

kept in the dark but you were there in front of me

i've been sleeping a thousand years it seems

got to open my eyes to everything

without a thought without a voice without a soul

don't let me die here

(there must be something more)

bring me to life



wake me up

wake me up inside (can't wake up)

wake me up inside ( save me)

call my name and save me from the dark

(wake me up)

bid my blood to run

(can't wake up)

before i come undone

(save me)

save me from the nothing i've become

bring me to life

(I've been living inside. there's nothing inside)

bring me to life





As the final strains of the song died off, Nick could feel Natalie's desire
pulsing against him. She opened her eyes and they were molten gold; he knew
his own were flecked with amber. He grabbed her hand and pulled her off the
edge of the dance floor. Natalie kept her eyes cast downward, her need for
Nick's blood stronger than it had ever been. The suddenness of her hunger
and desire for him had pushed her to the edge of her control. None of the
mortals around them meant anything to her. She only wanted Nick's blood in
her mouth, his hands on her body.



Part 57



As he led her toward the bar, Janette came rushing out of the door marked
"Employees Only", and stopped when she saw Nick leading Natalie toward her.
She raised one eyebrow but stepped aside as Nick and Natalie came through
the door. She could feel the passion raging from Nick, stronger than
anything she had ever experienced from him other than his lust for Natalie's
blood as a mortal before he left Toronto for the final time.



Nick pulled Natalie to him once the heavy door had closed behind them and
let his own eyes turn gold with his arousal, his fangs already descended. He
crushed Natalie to him and growled as he plunged his tongue into her mouth.



She moaned and tightened her grip on him, starting to unbutton his shirt in
the long paneled hallway. He stopped her, pulling away from her lips and
grabbing her hands in his own. He asserted control over her.



"Upstairs, my love." He picked her up and flew them to the end of the
hallway and up to the second floor apartment. He carried her into the
bedroom they had shared for all the weeks of her initial training to control
her appetite, and barely got the door shut behind them before the passion
that had grown between them refused to be denied any longer.



Janette remained downstairs in the bar, wondering what had elicited such a
response from Nicholas and Natalie. She knew the couple was demonstrative,
but she had never seen them display such raw sexuality before in public.
When Nick saw her, he had put a tight damper on his link to her, but there
was still a bleed over into her mind, so primal and urgent had the couple's
passion been. She drank two glasses of uncut blood before she felt calm
enough to return to her office.



Two hours later, Nick cuddled Natalie's passion-spent body to him. They were
lying naked in the bed under the comforter, and she was drowsing against his
shoulder. Their lovemaking had been savage, urgent, sensual, and had left
both of them exhausted in its frenzy. Nick had never felt anything like it
with any woman he had ever been with.  There had been a total merging
between them, where they meshed and neither could differentiate their own
emotions and needs from the other. Their climaxes had been simultaneous and
had actually pitched them both into unconsciousness for several moments.
Even in the quiet aftermath of their love, their bond was deeper than it had
been before. Nick could feel Natalie curled in his mind, and he could also
sense part of himself twined within her. The sheer wonder of it filled him
with awe.







Part 58



Gently kissing her forehead, he climbed out of the bed and put his clothes
back on. He badly needed blood. Human blood. He was shaking as he crept out
of the room. He went into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator door,
grabbing the first bottle he identified as donated.  He ripped the cork out
of it and drank straight from the bottle. He finished it in four gulps. He
turned to reach for another bottle when he sensed Janette approaching.



She stood in the doorway, her blue eyes studying him. She walked in and went
to the cupboard for two glasses, which she placed on the counter. He pulled
the cork out of the second bottle and poured the rich red liquid into the
glasses.  As she raised the glass to her lips, her eyes were on her master.
After five minutes and several swallows, she spoke.



"Cheri, what happened tonight?"



He finished his glass and poured another.



"I don't know, Janette.  This song came on and suddenly Natalie and I were
all over each other. I've never felt anything quite like it. We barely made
it up here." He took a drink. "I can't even begin to describe it. It was
more than blood lust, more than passion." He looked at her, and she could
feel the change within him. He seemed.more whole, more completed somehow.
There were added layers to their link, and she could sense Natalie almost as
strongly as she could him.



She frowned. Her own blood link with Natalie had gotten stronger after Nick
had brought her across, but suddenly she felt the bonds she carried to the
couple so intertwined in her mind that it was as if the two had merged,
becoming one. She described the sensation to him, and he nodded.



"It's like we've.joined. I don't know how else to describe it. It's
incredible. Natalie and I ran into some thugs on the way over here, and we
hypnotized them and sent them on their way, but Natalie said she did
something that passed her subject over to me, along our link. I have no idea
what she did."



Janette's brow furrowed, and she left Nick to go into the living room, which
held several bookcases full of books. She walked over to one in the far
corner and looked up on one of the highest shelves, pulling down an
ancient-looking tome bound in dark red leather. She opened it up, and
flipped through the pages until she found what she was looking for. Her eyes
scanned the pages, and suddenly they went wide. She glanced up at Nick then
brought the book over to him. She turned it to him and he looked at it.



Part 59



The pages were an aged vellum, and written in ancient Greek. As he puzzled
his way through the text, he was hit by shock. The words on the page spoke
of a legend, a story from the early mists of time. Nick recognized it as the
precursor to the myth of Eros and Psyche, but the subject of this particular
text was an ancient being claimed by the love of a mortal woman, enchanted
by her. When the two finally consummated their love, they became bound
together for eternity. Their souls became intertwined, their emotions and
thoughts became one. The text went on to say that the couple was granted
immortality by the gods, and invincibility from all harm so long as the two
of them remained faithful to one another.



He looked up at Janette. "What is this?"



"I don't know. But when you were describing your bond with Natalie, I
remembered this story. I got this book from LaCroix long before you joined
us; I think he had it for a millennium before that. It is a legend, non? But
the parallels are interesting."



He nodded, just as he felt Natalie stirring in his mind. He reached for
another glass, grabbed the bottle, kissed Janette on the cheek and went back
to the bedroom. Natalie looked at him when he sat on the edge of the bed and
poured her a glass of blood. He handed it to her and she extended a tendril
of thanks to him. She drank the blood down and he could feel the tension it
relieved in her.  She held her glass out for refill, and he poured the last
of the bottle into the glass, then set it on the nightstand.



"How do you feel?"



The puzzlement on her face echoed his own. "I feel great, now. But, Nick,
has something happened? I feel you.more? I'm not sure how to describe it."
She smiled at him. "Not that it's a bad thing, just something I wasn't
expecting."



"I know. I feel it too. Our bond is much stronger than it was. Janette
remembered an old legend she found that was interesting. Something about two
immortals that were invincible as long as they remained faithful to one
another." He grinned and leaned over to kiss her. "Not only do I love you
with all that I am, but if this was a precursor to the rest of eternity with
you, I think you've spoiled me for anyone else! I have to tell you, Nat,
that was the most INCREDIBLE experience I've ever had. Bar none."



Part 60



She smiled. "No arguments here." She finished the rest of the blood then got
up to get dressed. Nick glanced at his watch and saw that it was just after
three in the morning.  They stripped the linens off the bed and put them in
the hamper, returned the glass and bottle to the kitchen, then headed down
to Janette's office and knocked.



"Come in."



They walked in, hand in hand.



"Hello Natalie. You are looking well." She looked at the other vampire and
noticed that she seemed much calmer and more in control than ever.



"Hi Janette. I feel great." She flashed Janette a sheepish grin. "I'm sorry
if our, um, activities intruded on your evening." She would have been
blushing if she were able to.



Janette laughed softly. "Cherie, you didn't intrude so much as stoke the
fires, shall we say. Don't give it another thought." She turned to Nick.



"Nicholas, I have been doing some thinking and I have a business proposal
for you." His eyebrows lifted in query. "I have been in Portland for over
six years now, and since you and Natalie have found yourselves I think it is
time for me to move on. Now don't give me that look. I have talked to
LaCroix and I think that perhaps Seattle would be interesting for a while. I
will still be close by, but truly, I am getting restless. Alors, I was
wondering if you would be interested in taking over ownership of the
Elysium?



Nick's eyebrows shot up. "Me? Buy the club? Janette, you and LaCroix know I
have no experience running a club."



She waved her hand in the air in dismissal. "Bah, Nicholas. You need
something to occupy yourself, and when I leave, you become the local Elder.
We both know it has always made the most sense to be in the center of the
Community when one assumes the responsibilities of obligation. Think about
it. I will be here until after your wedding in a few weeks, but after that I
WILL be leaving.  And, given your recent return to the fold, as it were, I
think it is a good change for you to be the local Elder, hmmm?"



Nick sat stunned.  He looked at Natalie, and she smiled at him.



"Nick, she's right. On a number of counts. You really should think about it.
You've had enough experience running your own businesses and the Foundation
over the years that it wouldn't be that much of stretch." A mischievous
glint lit her eyes. "And just think of the discount we'd get on wines as a
distributor."



He burst out laughing. "Oh NOW I see your true reasoning." He leaned over
and kissed her, then turned back to Janette. "I'll think about it. Have you
told Arthur and Cecile yet?"



Part 61



She nodded. "Cecile is thinking of coming with me. Although, I wonder if
part of her attraction to Seattle has to do with LaCroix." She smiled at the
thought of the two strong personalities battling each other. "Arthur will be
staying. I think he is looking forward to working with Natalie on her
research ventures." She looked at her sister vampire. "Natalie, he is quite
fond of you. And truthfully, I think he is more comfortable with you than
anyone else. Like the rest of us, he adores Nikki. He has more paternal
instincts than any vampire I have ever known, except our Nicholas. Well,
think on my offer. Nicholas, unless you have a VERY compelling reason for
turning down the position of Elder, the Council will probably contact you as
soon as I announce my move." She stood up. "I am actually looking forward to
a few years of fun without the responsibility for every fledgling in the
city. With LaCroix and Vassili both in Seattle, I won't need to take over
the community there.  And, it will be good to spend time with Landon and
Jillian."



Nick picked up Natalie's handbag and pulled out the two guns, handing them
to Janette and telling her what had happened. She looked speculatively at
the guns, then took them, assuring the couple they would be disposed of.





Nick and Natalie got up and left the office. They went back down the stairs
to have a few more drinks.  The heightened rapport they shared thrummed
between them, and when they walked up to the bar, Alma poured drinks for
them, and narrowed her eyes at Natalie. Then she gasped in shock.



"Alma, what is it?"



"Your resonance is different. You've.aged. I don't know how else to explain
it."



Nick looked carefully at Natalie, extending his senses to their fullest. It
took him a few seconds to find the changes that Alma was talking about. He
frowned.



"Nat, extend your senses toward me. Try not to use our link."



Natalie concentrated. "Wow Nick, it's strange. Your aura has changed. You're
both stronger and softer."



They looked into each other's eyes, neither of them quite sure what had
happened, only that it had profoundly affected them and deepened their link,
and if possible, their love for one another.



Nick reached up to stroke the back of his hand against Natalie's cheek.
"Come on, let's go home." His voice was soft and tender, and the feelings
Natalie felt were the sweetest and most affectionate she had ever imagined.
They joined hands and headed for the car.



Part 62



As the day of the wedding approached, both Nick and Natalie became harried
with plans. Most of the attendees were members of the vampire community but
the few mortals attending had to be accommodated. When Natalie saw the size
of the guest list from Nick, she raised her eyebrows at him.



"Um, Nick, there are an AWFUL lot of people on this list. I thought we had
agreed to keep it under fifty?"



He grinned at her and took her into his arms. They had turned one of the
upstairs bedrooms into a joint office, where they were working on wedding
plans. "My lovely wife-to-be, I am almost eight hundred years old. I'm
trying to rejoin the community, and I promise you that I'm only inviting
people I really care about. Let me go through it again. There ARE a few
mortals on this list, you know." He kissed her and went back to the list to
see whom he could eliminate. Natalie just chuckled and shook her head.



There was a knock on the door and they grinned at each other. Nikki was
learning to be polite and respect personal boundaries, now that there were
so many people in her life other than Natalie.



"Come in." Natalie called to the figure on the other side of the door.



Nikki opened the door and peeked in, seeing her parents sitting at their
respective desks.  "Daddy, there's a man here to see you about your coat."



Nick's eyebrows furrowed. "My coat?"



Natalie laughed. "He's here about your jacket for the wedding. It's the
tailor Remember, we asked him to stop by for a fitting?"



Mystery solved, Nick grinned and stood up. He opened the door and scooped
Nikki up to carry her downstairs with him. She giggled at him. Natalie
turned back to finish her small list of invitees, then got up to go oversee
Nick's fitting. She and Janette had decided not to let him know what was
going on until just before the wedding.  His tux was being hand tailored,
and the seamstress working on the bridal party was married to the tailor
doing his tux, which was one of the reasons Janette had suggested them.



Nick had told her that no matter where she ended up, Janette always managed
to find the best dressmaker, local couturier, stylist, and spa in whatever
area she was living in. After letting the elder vampire help her with the
suggestions for the wedding, her dress, and all the other arrangements,
Natalie knew he was right. She had lived in Portland as long as Janette and
had had no idea about most of the resources. Then she chuckled to herself.
Of course, she hadn't had the access to money that Nick and Janette did. She
still wasn't comfortable just making use of Nick's money for all her
everyday needs, but for the wedding she was sparing no expense, knowing how
important this ceremony was for all of them.  She went downstairs to check
on the fitting, realizing that the day she had dreamed of for over a decade
was soon to become a reality.



Part 63



On Thursday night, Amy and Sarah arrived with Sarah's second husband Roy and
their two sons. They came up to the front door of the new house around 8:00
PM.  Jennifer opened the door as the bell rang, ushering them in.  Nikki ran
to her aunt, uncle and cousins, excited to see her only blood relatives. The
sun hadn't quite set, but Natalie was already awake and showering. Since her
merging with Nick, she had not been a slave to the rising and setting of the
sun. It was as if she had lived centuries in hours, acquiring the tolerances
and strengths of an older vampire, such as Nick had.



Nick sat on the bed, his back propped against the headboard reading. He
wanted to wait for Natalie to go downstairs to see Sarah and Amy again.
Natalie stepped out of the master bath, her hair wrapped turban-style and a
blue silk robe swathing her slender frame. Nick looked up and watched her, a
smile playing around the corners of his mouth. He never tired of watching
her.



She glanced over at him and saw the smile on his face. "What?"



"You're stunning."



She smiled and walked over to him, leaning down to give him a sound kiss. "I
love you. But we have family to attend to. Keep that thought for later." She
went back to her dressing.



Natalie dried her hair and put on a khaki skirt and a pink blouse, having
found that wearing the color pink did give her a bit more color. As Natalie
finished getting ready to see her sister-in-law and niece, Nick stood up and
approached her from behind. She turned and smiled at him. He wrapped his
arms around her waist, knowing that she was very nervous to meet her family
as a vampire.



"You'll do fine, Nat. I'll be with you, and so will Nikki."



"I know Nick, but this is so important. If Amy does agree to live with us,
you know we'll have to tell her the truth; what if she remembers about
Richard?"



Finally knowing the root of her discomfort, Nick kissed her temple and
turned her to face him. "Nat, she was only nine. The young are much more
suggestible to hypnosis than adults. If she DOES remember, we'll tell her
the truth. It will be OK, you'll see. Come on, let's go down."



Natalie nodded and pulled away from him, taking his hand to lead him
downstairs.



Part 64



In the family room, Nikki was entertaining Bobby and Michael, Sarah's two
sons from her second marriage. Bobby was five, Nikki's age, and Michael was
seven. Amy was watching as the three children played "Old Maid". Sarah and
Roy were talking to Arthur about Natalie's new research center.



Nick and Natalie walked into the room, and Sarah stood up, Roy followed
suit. Natalie came over to her sister-in-law and hugged her, then Roy.



"Sarah, I'm so glad you could come. I've missed you guys." She gave Roy the
same treatment, then turned to Nick to pull him forward.



Smiling, she introduced him. "Sarah, this is Nick. It's been a while."



Nick smiled his charming grin and leaned to take Sarah's hand. "Hi Sarah,
it's good to see you again."



She smiled at the handsome man, vaguely remembering him from Richard's
memorial service. "Congratulations, Nick. I know Natalie loves you very
much, and I hope you two find great happiness together. She deserves it."
Nick leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek, causing her to blush.



He pulled back then turned to the man beside her. Roy Matheson was in his
early forties, with dark thinning hair and intelligent hazel eyes. Natalie
hugged Roy. "Roy, this is my fiance Nick."



Nick reached forward to shake hands with him. "Hi Roy. Nat tells me you're a
history teacher?  Maybe if we have time we can talk shop. I'm an amateur
archeology buff, and I've taken a lot of courses in medieval history." He
grinned.



Roy smiled, instantly at ease with the newest member of his wife's family.
"I'd like that. I just finished a very interesting book on the Albigensian
Crusade if you're interested."



The two men started talking as Natalie and Sarah looked at each other and
rolled their eyes. They went over to where the children were playing and Amy
stood up to hug Natalie.



"Aunt Nat, I'm SO happy for you!"



Natalie stood back to look at her niece, realizing how quickly she had
grown. Amy was a lovely young woman, her light brown hair pulled back in a
ponytail, with Richard's blue eyes and Sarah's smile.



"Thanks Honey. Let me introduce you to Nick. You probably don't remember
him." She took Amy's hand and led her over to where the two men were
involved in an animated discussion of the Languedoc.



Natalie cleared her throat, and Nick looked up at her, a sheepish grin on
his face. He stood up and looked at Amy, vividly remembering her as a young
girl. He saw how much she resembled Richard and felt a stab of regret.



"Nick, this is my niece Amy. Amy, this is Nick." Nick held out his hand to
the lovely young woman, and she took it, smiling at him. She was not immune
to his good looks and charming smile.



"Hi Amy. I'm glad to meet you again."



"Hi Nick. I'm sorry I don't really remember you, but I'm looking forward to
getting to know you." Just then Nikki ran over and tugged at Natalie's
skirt.



"Mommy, can we have some ice cream, please?" The adults laughed and
proceeded to herd the children into the kitchen for root beer floats.



Part 65



The evening passed quickly for the adults, and around midnight the children
started fading. Nick went with Roy to get Amy's luggage, taking it up to the
mother-in-law suite. When they returned, Sarah and Natalie each held one of
the boys in her arms, ready to take them to Roy and Sarah's car. After the
boys were belted in and Roy and Sarah had taken their leave of Amy, Nick and
Natalie, the three of them took Nikki up to her room. Nikki was still awake,
keeping a later schedule than her cousins. She led Sarah into her room to
show her the mermaid mural and her dress for the wedding.



Amy entertained her little cousin until one in the morning, finally
convincing her that it was time for bed. Nick and Natalie watched, pleased
with how well Nikki and Sarah got along. They came into Nikki's room to tuck
her in.



"Goodnight Mommy, goodnight Daddy." Nikki snuggled into the covers, asleep
before Nick and Natalie had left the room, a smile of contentment on her
face.



Part 66



Natalie put her arm around Amy and led her to the mother-in-law suite,
hoping that Amy would enjoy a week with Nikki while she and Nick were on
their honeymoon. As the crossed the breezeway over the three-car garage to
the finished room, Natalie heard Amy gasp in amazement.



The short hallway opened into a high-ceilinged room, with huge windows along
one wall. The room was about twenty-five by thirty-five feet; the space
carpeted and painted a pale cream color. Along the same wall as the door
they were standing in was a huge blond wood wall unit, including an
entertainment center, bookcases, drawers, and a built-in Murphy bed, which
had been pulled down and was made up for Amy. The Murphy bed was on the far
side of the unit, and the entertainment portion was closest to the middle of
the wall. A door directly across from the bed led to a full bathroom. Across
from the unit were a loveseat and two overstuffed chairs, all upholstered in
navy blue and cream striped fabric set around a wicker trunk that doubled as
a coffee table, sharing the same wall as the bathroom door. Amy's suitcase
was sitting next to the bed.



Directly in front of Amy and Natalie was a small kitchen, with an island
bisecting the kitchen from the main room, two stools sitting on the side
closest to them. A door on the far side of the kitchen led to a separate
stairway entrance on the outside of the garage wall, with storage cubbyholes
built into the wall.



"Aunt Natalie, this is amazing!" Amy's eyes were wide with wonder. "It's
like an apartment!"



Natalie took her hand and led her into the suite. "Nick and I bought this
house when we saw this room. The wall unit has built in drawers and a place
to hang your clothes between the bed and the entertainment section." She
proceeded to show Amy the ingenious placement of the storage compartments of
the unit, which Nick had designed and had ordered from Sweden.



Amy looked around her in wonder at the refuge. Natalie showed her all the
amenities, including the dishwasher that looked like a drawer, as well as
the bathroom and the separate entrance.



Finally, after the grand tour, they sat down in the seating area.



"Amy, I want you to know that the offer we made you to be a nanny is
something we both agree on. Nick loves Nikki and is going to adopt her
formally after the wedding. We need someone to help take care of her,
someone we both trust. But I don't want you to feel obligated to say yes if
you have any doubts or if you have somewhere else you'd rather go to school.
And, although it may seem like a 'cushy' job, we are very serious about
needing someone to take care of Nikki during the day. Nick and I are going
to be night owls, sleeping during the day. We'll spend the evenings with
Nikki, and help get her ready in the mornings, but this is a very important
role in her life. So far she has been very adaptive with all the changes in
her life, but she needs to settle into a normal routine. I'm hoping that the
week you'll be staying with her while we're on our honeymoon will help you
decide. Arthur will stay here with you to help you out, and Jennifer, the

student from PSU that has been helping us the last couple of months will
stop by every day, too.  She and Arthur are friends, and can answer any
questions you have."



Amy looked at her aunt, a smile on her face. "Aunt Nat, I just want you to
know how much I appreciate your generosity. I've thought a lot about this,
and I'd love to live with you and Nick and take care of Nikki. I've already
applied to Portland State and been accepted. I start in September."



Part 67



Natalie leaned forward to hug Amy. "Honey, I can't tell you how happy we
are. But Nick and I have one more thing to tell you before you make this
commitment. Stay here while I go get him." She got up to leave, sending out
a mental tendril to Nick. He met her in the upstairs hallway outside Nikki's
room.



"She said yes, but we need to tell her the truth, Nick."



Nick could feel her turmoil at the prospect of telling Amy the truth as she
stepped into his arms, shaking. They had talked about it for hours and
agreed to tell her niece everything before the wedding. If she got upset or
remembered the situation with her father, Nick had agreed to suppress her
memory and plant the idea that she had changed her mind.



She looked up at him, and he smoothed a piece of hair away from her face and
kissed her forehead.



"Are you ready, Nat?" She nodded, and he took her hand to go back into the
suite. Amy had started unpacking her clothing for her weeklong stay with
Nikki. She looked up when Nick and Natalie walked in. She smiled when she
saw them, but noticed that Natalie seemed very tense. Her smile faded, and a
sense of foreboding took hold.



"Aunt Nat? Are you ok?" Amy walked over to her aunt, who smiled wanly. Nick
led both women to the sitting area. He and Natalie sat on the loveseat while
Amy sat in one of the chairs facing them.



Amy looked from one to the other, not sure what to say. Finally, Nick
cleared his throat. "Amy, we have something to tell you, and it's going to
be almost impossible for you to believe, but it's the truth. Natalie and I
decided that if you agreed to live with us, you had a right to know exactly
what you're getting into." He was still holding Natalie's hand, and she was
staring fixedly at the carpeting, her insides coiled like a spring.



Amy looked from one to the other, curiosity prickling along the back of her
neck.



Nick continued. "OK, here goes. Amy, Natalie and I are not what we seem. We
aren't human." Amy looked at him, her eyebrows rising into her hairline
skeptically. "What we are is something that the world believes is a myth.
I've been this way for almost eight hundred years, and your Aunt joined me
three months ago. We're vampires."



Amy let out a bark of laughter. "Vampires? Oh, come ON, Nick."



Natalie finally raised her eyes to her niece, and they were glowing a molten
gold. The tips of her fangs rested on her lower lip. "Amy, this is what we
are." Amy gasped, and her heart sped up.



Part 68



"How...how did you do that? Aunt Nat?" A touch of hysteria sounded in Amy's
voice. Natalie looked down again, her eyes returning to their regular blue,
her fangs retracting. She looked back at Amy, a sad smile on her face.



"Amy, honey, it's true. Vampires DO exist, they're real. I found that out
for myself when I met Nick fifteen years ago."



Amy was shaking. She took a deep breath before starting to speak. "OK, let
me see if I understand this. Nick, you're almost EIGHT HUNDRED YEARS OLD?"
He nodded. "Aunt Natalie, you...became...like him three months ago?" Natalie
nodded. "So, how does this work? Do you drink blood? Sleep in coffins?" Her
curiosity was aroused, although her heart still hammered in fear.



Nick spoke up. "Yes, we drink blood; donated human or animal blood. No, we
don't sleep in coffins. And you need to know a few things about us. Your
aunt has never, and hopefully never will, hurt anyone. I...can't say the
same thing, although it's been over two hundred years since I stopped
hunting. We cannot tolerate any sunlight, and we don't age or get ill. We
cannot abide garlic or religious objects, and we are very strong and fast,
and we can fly."



Natalie interjected. "Amy, I met Nick back in Toronto when he was brought
into the coroner's office presumed dead. He had thrown himself on top of a
pipe bomb to save the lives of innocent people. He woke up on my examining
table and I learned what he was. At the time, he was trying to find a way to
become human again. I helped him for several years before he was forced to
leave Toronto. I've known what he is since I first met him, and I've loved
him since then, too." She took a deep breath. "Three months ago, a Russian
mob leader that Nick and I had helped to put in jail escaped and followed me
here. He kidnapped Nikki and demanded that Nick and I both meet him. When
this happened, he shot me and I was dying. Nick knew that if I were given
the choice to live as a vampire or die as a mortal, I would take the chance
on becoming a vampire. He brought me across-the term for creating a new
vampire-and, well, you know the rest."



Amy shook her head in disbelief. "Nick when were you born? Where did you
grow up? How did you become a vampire?"



He smiled. "I was born in 1193 in an area of Europe called Brabant. It was
French at the time, but is now a part of Belgium. I was the second son of
the Duke of Brabant. I became a knight and was sent to the Crusades for
several years. In 1228, when I returned to France I met a beautiful woman
who seduced me. She was a vampire and brought me to her master, who made me
a vampire."





Part 69



Amy's mouth formed an O of astonishment. Her heart had slowed down a bit as
she started to take in the details of the incredible story unfolding before
her. She shook her head. "This is incredible. These people that made you a
vampire...are they still around?"



Nick nodded. "You'll meet them tomorrow. Both of them are in the wedding
party." Her eyes grew even wider and he grinned.



Natalie grabbed Amy's hand. "Amy, Nick's vampire family is the reason that
Nikki is still alive, and why I'm here. They helped me rescue her and
allowed me to become a vampire. I promise you, they will never hurt you or
Nikki. You're part of our family, too. But it is very important that you
keep this information to yourself. It is very dangerous for you to know
about us. You can't tell your Mom, or Roy."



Finally believing the couple in front of her, Amy thought long and hard
about the story they had just told her. "Aunt Natalie, what happens if I
decide to stay? Will...would you turn me into a vampire?" There was a hint
of fear in her voice.



"No, Sweetie. We want you just the way you are. And Nikki is mortal and will
remain that way. Becoming a vampire was not something I ever thought would
happen to me, but since it has, we're trying to make the best of it."



"What happens if I decide not to stay?"



Nick spoke. "One of the things that vampires can do is hypnotize mortals. If
you decide you cannot live in our world, I'll hypnotize you and you'll never
remember this conversation, only that you told us you didn't want to come
here for school. You'll remember the wedding and everything after that, but
just not the last hour and anything associated with it."



"Can I think about this? It's a lot to take in."



Natalie nodded. "Of course. We didn't expect you to decide on the spot.
We'll let you think about it. But we need to know before we leave for the
honeymoon. Will that give you enough time?"



Amy nodded. The two vampires stood up, and Amy followed suit. She hugged
both of them goodnight.



Nick and Natalie went back to their bedroom to talk. They knew Amy had a lot
to think about, but they had been as honest as they could with her. The
decision had to be hers. Nick was optimistic that Amy would stay with them,
but Natalie wasn't so sure.



"Nick, she's only eighteen!" She was pacing in front of the bed, agitation
and worry emanating between them.



"Nat, she's an adult. She has a good head on her shoulders and we've given
her the truth. She'll make whatever decision is right for her, and we'll
stand behind it. Come here." He opened his arms and Nat walked into them,
her nervousness calming her as it always did in his arms.



"Oh, Nick." She sighed.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++



Part 70



The next morning Nick and Natalie were still awake when Amy woke up. They
were in the darkened kitchen, both with mugs in front of them, discussing
last minute wedding details. She wandered in, yawning. She looked at them
and smiled.



"Good morning." She came over to kiss Natalie on the cheek, noticing that
she was still wearing her outfit from the previous night.



"How did you sleep?" Natalie asked.



"Great. A few bizarre dreams, but not too bad." She grinned at her aunt.



"Well, that's good to hear. I didn't know if you drink coffee or not. If you
do, there's a pot ready to go over on the counter. Just hit the start
button. There are eggs, bacon, sausage, fruit and juice in the fridge, and
frozen waffles in the freezer. Cereal is next to the stove and bread is in
the second drawer down next to the dishwasher. Help yourself to whatever you
want."



Amy looked at her in surprise. Nick laughed.



"Nikki needs to eat, and Jennifer is still coming over to help you out with
her. We also anticipate several visitors over the next couple of days, and
we want to be good hosts!"



Amy smiled, a blush staining her cheeks. "Sorry. I guess I didn't think
about it, after last night." She looked at their mugs. "Uh, is that...?"



Nick nodded. "Yes. Don't worry, we don't normally sit here in the morning
like this. We'll be heading off to bed shortly. Jennifer should be here in
about thirty minutes. We usually stay awake until Nikki is up and dressed,
then Jennifer takes her to school." He reached into his pocket and fished
out a set of keys. "Here's the key to the house and our car keys. Maybe
Jennifer will show you around town. Would you like to go see PSU? She's a
student there and can give you a guided tour. We already asked her about
it." Amy's face lit up as she took the keys from him.



"That would be great! Is Nikki ok with that, do you think?"



Natalie laughed. "Oh, she's usually fine with just about anything. There's a
children's museum over by the zoo, and she loves to go to the Pearl
District. Jennifer knows all the best places to take her. She'll be in
pre-school until about one, then Jennifer usually does something with her
until five, until they come back here for dinner. We're usually up by then."



Part 71



Just then both vampires could detect Nikki's heartbeat as she got out of bed
and headed downstairs. She raced into the kitchen, curls flying. She was
wearing the Beauty and the Beast pajamas Nick had managed to find for her.
She ran straight to Natalie and climbed into her lap.



"Hi Mommy!" She wrapped her arms around Natalie's neck in a big hug.



"Good morning, Pumpkin. Are you hungry?"



Nikki nodded. She jumped down from Nat's lap and went over to Nick, who
picked her up in a bear hug, causing her to squeal in delight.



"Hi Daddy, can I have a waffle? Please?"



Nick tweaked her nose. "I think that can be arranged. Maybe Amy would like
one, as well."



 Nikki looked over at her cousin. "Amy, do you want a waffle, too?"



Amy grinned and nodded. Nick set Nikki on the floor and got up to show Amy
where various things were kept. Amy turned on the coffee pot, and put two of
the waffles in the toaster.



About fifteen minutes later, there was a knock on the front door just before
it opened, and Jennifer stepped in. Nikki ran to the foyer to say hi to her.



Jennifer came into the kitchen and was introduced to Amy and sat down to
have a cup of coffee. Nick and Natalie had already finished their meals and
put their mugs in the dishwasher. Natalie was obviously tired, but wanted to
make sure that Amy, Nikki and Jennifer got off to a good start. At eight,
Jennifer took Nikki upstairs to get her dressed, and Amy went to get ready.
She and Jennifer had hit it off, and Jennifer was happy to show Amy around
Portland State while Nikki was in pre-school, and they planned to take Nikki
out in the afternoon. By eight thirty, they had left and the house was quiet
again.



Nick and Natalie made their way upstairs to sleep until the early evening,
when they had their wedding rehearsal and introduction of Nick's vampire
family to Nat's mortal one.



Part 72



Evening came to the northwest, and the city was bathed in golden sunlight.
Nick and Natalie were awake and dressed when Amy and Nikki came into the
house just after six. They were hosting an open house for guests that would
be arriving from out of town before heading off to the rehearsal at eight
thirty, returning to mingle with more guests afterward. The open house was
their solution to a rehearsal dinner, which only Amy, Sarah and Roy would be
participating in. The open house was for both vampire and mortal family and
friends, and was being catered (for the mortals) and had an open bar (for
everyone) tended by Alma. Arthur would be acting as host while the bridal
party attended the brief rehearsal.



Natalie heard the door open and sensed Nikki and Amy returning. She leaned
over the railing from the second floor and watched the late afternoon
sunlight stream in through the doorway as Nikki bounded in, followed by Amy.
Nikki instinctively looked up to her mother, a big grin on her face.



"Hi Momma!" She started up the stairway. Natalie walked over to the top of
the stairs and picked her up when she finished the climb. Natalie's control
had improved dramatically in the three months since she had been brought
across, in large part because of her bond with Nick. She no longer feared
hurting her daughter on a regular basis.



"Hi Sweetie. Are you hungry or did you get something to eat?"



"I'm HUNGRY!" Natalie laughed at her emphatic response.



Amy followed her cousin, closing the door. She looked up to see Natalie
holding Nikki at the top of the stairs. It was a scene that brought her a
sense of comfort, memories of other visits with Nikki and Natalie. At that
moment, seeing how much Natalie still loved her daughter and knowing
everything she and Nick were trying to do to make the little girl's life as
normal as possible, she knew that she wanted to stay and help out her aunt
and cousin.



"Aunt Nat, can I talk to you?"



Natalie looked down at her niece, worry nagging at her. She saw Amy's smile
and set Nikki down after kissing her and telling her to wash her hands for
dinner.



"Nick's in the office, do you want to come on up?"



Amy nodded and walked up the stairs. She met Natalie at the top and hugged
her.



They walked into Nick and Natalie's shared office, arms around one another
as Amy told Natalie about her visit to PSU and Nikki's trip to the museum.



Part 73



Nick looked up as they entered. He smiled to see the two women so close. Amy
closed the door after herself as Natalie went to stand by Nick.



"I've been thinking a lot about our conversation last night, and I still
want to stay with you. I know I have a lot to learn, but I'm willing to do
whatever I can to help out with Nikki."



Nick smiled, and Natalie looked dumbfounded. "Honey, are you sure you're OK
with this?"



Amy nodded. "Aunt Natalie, you and Nikki are all I have left of my Dad, and
I'm all you have left of him. I love you, and even though
you're...different...you're still my family."



Natalie had to close her eyes to keep from shedding red tears. Nick got up
and went over to Amy and folded her in an embrace. "Thank you."



He pulled back and Amy turned to Nat. "Aunt Natalie, I have some questions I
'd like to ask Nick alone, if you don't mind."



Natalie nodded and put her arms around Amy in a quick embrace. "I'll be
downstairs getting dinner ready for you and Nikki. I'm just throwing
together leftovers since there'll be food for the open house." She slipped
out of the door.



Amy looked at Nick, her expression unreadable. He went and sat down,
anticipating some of the questions she was probably going to ask. She slowly
walked over to sit in Natalie's chair in front of her desk.



"Nick, last night you told me that you hadn't 'hunted' in over two hundred
years. I'm assuming that means you did for the five hundred years before
that?" He nodded. "When you say 'hunt', does that mean you killed people?"
She held her breath.



He looked at her, sadness in his eyes. "Yes. That's what it means." He didn'
t offer her anything else.



She continued to look at him. "Why did you stop?" Her voice was amazingly
steady.



"I stopped because it was wrong.  It was murder, pure and simple. For
centuries I rationalized it, that I was higher up the food chain and just
eating to survive, but the truth of the matter is that I was a killer, and I
enjoyed it. After I came to see that it was wrong, I was consumed by guilt
for decades. I made the decision to try and do things to help the world
become a better place. I've been a teacher, a doctor, a police officer, I've
volunteered at homeless shelters, I've given money to charities all over the
world. But it's never enough. I can never make up for the horrible things I
did in my past. But I try. It's all I can do." He dropped his eyes in shame.



Amy had watched him as he spoke, and she could feel the pain and anguish
radiating off of him.



Part 74



"Does Aunt Natalie know all this?"



He looked up at her. "Of course she does. I'd never share my life with her
if I kept secrets like that. She's known everything about me almost since
the first time we met. The fact that she knows, and loves me despite
everything, is the greatest miracle of my life.  My very long, very lonely,
very evil life. Let me tell you something else, Amy. Everyone has the
potential to commit great atrocities inside of themselves. I'm being
brutally frank with you. I believe you have a right to know about us, our
kind, if you are going to be living with us. Your aunt still sees you as a
little girl, and she tries to shield you from the unpleasantness of the
world. But I see a young woman, someone that cares enough about her family
to look beyond the horrific truth that she has been shown, to try and learn
and grow. Someone who doesn't believe in bigotry, but in the possibility
that the world CAN be made into a better place. And, in that, you remind me
a lot of your aunt. I cannot promise you that you will never be hurt, or
that you will live happily ever after. I CAN promise you that I will never
lie to you when you ask me a question, that I will protect you from anyone
that would hurt you intentionally, and that I'll provide for you with all
the resources I have at my disposal, which are actually pretty considerable.
I can also promise you access to a world that most people never dream about,
let alone experience as an insider. But the price for entrance to that world
is the loss of your illusions, and to an extent your innocence. This is your
decision, Amy. I cannot and will not make it for you. I once made a decision
for your aunt and I almost lost the most precious person in my entire
existence."



Nick finally concluded his speech, watching the young woman in front of him.
He had known her father and her aunt as intimately as it was possible to
know anyone else, through the sharing of the vampiric master-fledgling bond.
He suspected she took after them both in strength of character.





Part 75



She returned his gaze. When she finally spoke, it was almost a shock to them
both. "Thanks, Nick. I'm sticking with my decision. I want to be a part of
your world, your life. I want to take care of Nikki, and help you and
Natalie function. I told you earlier that I know there is a lot to learn,
and I know that's true. I just want to make sure you know that I'm committed
to this."



Nick smiled. "You are a remarkable woman, Amy. Someday someone is going to
be very lucky to have your love. Do you have any other questions?"



"You said that you became a vampire when you were seduced by a beautiful
woman and that she'll be here tomorrow.  Who is she? What kind of a
relationship do you have with her?"



"Her name is Janette, and she is like a sister to me now, although for a
very long time I loved her.  Natalie knows about my relationship with
Janette, and knows that she has nothing to worry about. I care deeply for
her, but my heart belongs to Natalie. She's Nat's maid of honor."



Amy's eyebrows rose. "She made your ex her maid of honor?"



Nick laughed. "Trust me, they've become friends. She can be very personable
when she wants."



"What about the person that made you a vampire?"



"He's my best man. He's the closest thing I've had to a father in a very
long time. His name is Lucien LaCroix. You might have heard Nikki refer to
her 'Grandpa Lucius', that's him. I'll tell you right now, LaCroix is
dangerous. Not to you or anyone in your family, but he is the pure
embodiment of the vampire, and I guess I'd go so far as to even say evil.
But he is also a formidable protector. He's the one that rescued Nikki."



"How old is he?"



Nick chuckled. "You know world history, right?" She nodded. "He was a Roman
General and became a vampire when Vesuvius erupted over Pompeii in 79 AD."



Amy's eyes almost popped out of her head. "Nick, that means he's almost."



"Two thousand years old. Yes. And Janette is around one thousand, give or
take a century."



Amy gulped. "Wow. This is going to take a bit of getting used to."



"I know. Do you have any more questions? We should probably get downstairs.
You can ask me anything anytime, you know that, right?" She nodded. He got
up and reached for her hand so that they could go downstairs to join the
rest of their family for dinner.





Part 76



Arthur, who had been a silent presence in the house since Amy and her family
had arrived, was in the family room when Nikki and Amy had finished their
dinner. Nikki was upstairs in her room, where Natalie was helping her put on
her yellow Belle dress. They had promised Nikki she could wear the costume
for the rehearsal and open house, and had provided her with an alternate
dress for the wedding itself, in a similar style but different color. Nikki
was quickly developing a love of party dresses, something that was endearing
her to her "Aunt Janette".



Amy wandered into the family room after changing into her own dress for the
rehearsal. Since there was no actual rehearsal "dinner", she was wearing a
simple pale blue silk sheath, with a strand of pearls. The doorbell rang at
that moment and she went to answer the door. Her mother, stepfather and
brothers stood there, smiles on all their faces in the waning summer light.



Amy ushered them in, telling her mother and brothers about the remarkable
suite that Natalie had provided. Her brothers begged her to show her the
suite, and she led the family up to see Nick and Natalie's spare apartment.
She opened the door and her mother and brothers gaped in amazement.  Roy had
seen the suite the following night when he brought her luggage up so he hung
back, watching his sons and speaking softly to Amy and Sarah.



"Did you tell Nick and Natalie you've been accepted at PSU?" She nodded.
"Have you made your decision?" She nodded and grinned. "WELL?"



"I'll be moving in here."



Sarah threw her arms around her daughter, remembering when she had been a
toddler. She couldn't believe how grown up her daughter had become.



"I'm so proud of you honey, and I know your Dad would be too." She spoke
softly in Sarah's ear. The two women hugged for a few minutes more before
Sarah pulled away, trying not to cry.



They pulled apart, the boys looking at the entertainment center. Amy went in
and showed them how the Murphy bed worked, to their fascination.



Part 77



Soon, Amy turned and saw Nick standing in the doorway, wearing a navy blue
suit.



"Amy, we need to get going. Sarah, did you want to drive with us or
separately?"



Sarah turned to look at Nick, smiling at the handsome figure he cut. "Why
don't we follow you? It might be a bit crowded with the four of us plus
Nikki." Nick nodded then gestured for the two women to precede him. Roy
shepherded the boys out of the suite, closing the door after him.



They went back downstairs to the family room, where Nikki and Natalie were
waiting. Nikki was wearing her yellow dress, a big smile plastered on her
face. Natalie had on a royal blue silk dress and heels. She turned when she
sensed Nick and smiled to see Amy and Sarah. Sarah's pale cream colored
dress made a nice contrast to Nikki's deep yellow one, with Nick, Amy and
Natalie all in varying shades of blue.



Roy and the boys were going to stay at the house and help greet guests with
Arthur.  The caterer had already arrived and was setting up in the back
yard. Nick had had lights strung outside in the back yard, and paper
lanterns hung from the trees on the far edge of the property. The sun had
fallen below the tree line and the dusk was filled with violet shadows.
Sarah kissed the boys goodbye, who were settled in to watch one of Nikki's
Disney videos until the guests started arriving. Roy and Arthur were
talking, keeping an absent eye on the boys.  Sarah and Natalie went to take
Sarah's car; Nick and Amy took Nikki to Natalie's car. They left the house
just as Nick and Natalie felt the sun fall completely below the horizon.



Forty minutes later they arrived at the Garden of Awakening Orchids, and
both Amy and Sarah were stunned by the elegant venue. Natalie had hired a
wedding coordinator for the wedding, and she met the party at the front
gate, allowing them in. They walked in and both Nick and Natalie could feel
Janette and LaCroix nearby. They walked through a garden that had flagstones
and a single tree leaning against a gently lit white wall, through a door
into a large room with open colonnades featuring intricately carved wooden
screens, with no windows. Amy and Sarah looked around them, trying to take
in the details of the fabulous scenery. Everywhere they looked was harmony
and tranquility, with a sense of timelessness about them.  They proceeded
through the colonnade onto an open terrace looking out over a large pond.
They gasped at the majesty of the view. Soaring rooftops, pagodas, covered
open walkways, were all lit with lanterns and gentle lights that were
reflected in the gently shimmering water.



Nick and Natalie silently lead them over a walkway toward a smaller terrace
overlooking the garden. When they stepped through a smaller chamber out onto
the terrace, Amy and Sarah stopped, faced by a couple that literally
demanded their attention. Nick and Natalie walked over to the tall blond man
and statuesque brunette woman. Natalie hugged the stunning brunette, and
Nick shook hands with the older gentleman, who was clothed in black from
head to toe.



Suddenly Nikki squealed and threw herself at the man.



"Grandpa Lucius!" He leaned down and caught her in his arms, lifting her
high into the air to her screams of delight. He twirled her around, a smile
gracing his pale face. Natalie and Nick watched on, smiles on both their
lips.



Nick turned toward Amy and Sarah, motioning them forward.



Part 78



"Sarah, Amy, this is my sister Janette. Janette, this is Natalie's niece Amy
and her sister-in-law Sarah. They're both bridesmaids."



Janette turned to face the latest additions to her family, her lips curving
in a smile. She was wearing a dark red suit with black high heels, her dark
hair pulled back in a chignon. She held out her hand Sarah. "Welcome to our
little family. It is good to know that Natalie has people who care for her."
She turned to Amy. "Amy, I've heard many good things about you. Nicholas has
told me you will be starting school in the fall, yes?" Amy shook her hand,
and nodded, completely stunned by the commanding woman in front of her. She
smiled and nodded.



LaCroix cradled Nikki in his arms and turned to meet the Natalie's mortal
family. He walked the two feet toward them, and gently put Nikki down, even
though she pouted, and held fast to his left hand.



Nick introduced them. "Sarah, Amy, this is my father, Lucien LaCroix."



Sarah felt vaguely ill at ease around the tall vampire, smiling in an effort
to cover her emotions. LaCroix was completely aware of his effect on her,
and took her hand to bring it to his lips. "Welcome to the family, Sarah. I
understand your first husband was Natalie's brother. I'm only sorry he wasn'
t able to be with us to celebrate the joining of our two families." He
dropped her hand and turned toward Amy, lifting one eyebrow at her stiff
attitude. He took her hand, kissed it delicately, then dropped it. "Amy, it
is truly a pleasure to finally meet you. Natalie has told me much about you,
and I hope that you will have the chance to get to know us better if you
decide to move to Portland."



Amy smiled tightly. "Yes, I'm sure I will. I've already told Nick and
Natalie that I accept their offer. Nick has told me quite a bit about you.
May I call you Lucien? I hope we'll get a chance to talk. I'm taking a
course in Antiquities in the fall, and Nick told me that you have some
incredible stories about Pompeii and Rome you might be willing to share with
me."



LaCroix's eyebrows rose and he glanced at his son. "Indeed? I look forward
to it. And yes, please do call me Lucien."  A smile tugged at his lips at
the subtle game Amy was playing. It appeared that Natalie was not the only
intriguing woman in the Lambert family.



The party turned and proceeded to meet with Starr, the young woman that
would be officiating the following night.  The rehearsal was sketchy, just
an idea for the participants to get an idea of the timing and where they
would be standing. Nick and Natalie had chosen to exchange their vows in the
small pagoda, the Moon Locking Pavilion that was actually in the middle of
the lake. The acoustics were such that the wedding guests would be able to
hear their wedding vows being exchanged.  As they went through the motions
of the ceremony for the following night, Nick and Natalie could feel the ebb
and flow of the love between them.



Part 79



Nikki looked up at them, a huge grin of adoration and delight on her small
face.  Having no idea what obstacles Nick and Natalie had overcome to be
together in this moment in time, it seemed entirely right in her world that
Nick was finally real and part of her life. She had always considered him
her daddy, and now that the evil spell was lifted, she naturally expected a
happy ending.



After spending an hour at the garden, the family members took their leave of
the wedding coordinator and Starr and walked to the Elysium, where LaCroix
and Janette were staying. Amy was excited to see the club, knowing that
there were probably vampires there. She was vaguely disappointed when they
went in the back door, then up the stairs to the lavishly furnished
apartment over the club. Sarah looked around, amazed at the transformation.



Nikki giggled in delight at Amy and Sarah's reaction, and the family members
walked back to Natalie and Sarah's cars. Amy and LaCroix rode with Nick and
Nikki, and Janette and Natalie went over to Sarah's car to return back to
the house and their guests.



As they pulled up in front of the house, Nikki got very excited to see all
the cars lining the driveway. Nick and Janette had provided cars and
shuttles for the vampire population, asking them to be respectful of the
fact that there would be mortals among the guests, and to use ground
transport instead of flying. Most that had chosen not to drive had met at
the Elysium and been brought over. The house was brightly lit, and the
vampires could hear the music emanating from the back yard. Natalie had
taken care of the entertainment, and Nick smiled as he got a suspicion
regarding the identity of the performers.



"Daddy, who's here?"



Nick pulled the car up and over to one side of the drive, since cars were
blocking the garage.



"These are friends that have come to for the wedding tomorrow, Sweetheart."



"All these people? Will you 'duce me, Daddy? Please?"



LaCroix interjected. "Nikki, I will be happy to introduce you around. Your
mother and father have some things that they need to attend to, but I know
most of the guests that are friends of your father. Will I do?"



Nikki looked at him, a big grin on her face as she nodded. Amy helped her
out of her car seat while Nick and LaCroix got out of the car. Nikki
squirmed and jumped out, running to LaCroix, who hoisted her in his arms and
began telling her about some of the people he anticipated meeting as they
walked away.



Part 80



Amy walked around to Nick. "Nick, is there a reason Lucien is going to
introduce Nikki around?"



He nodded. "LaCroix is the, I guess the term 'patriarch' is as good as any,
of our family. He wields tremendous power in the community, and by
personally introducing Nikki, he is making a strong statement that she is
under his protection. I'll also have him introduce YOU around to some of the
key players for the same reason. Make sure you mingle with him and Janette
as much as you can. They have much more influence than I do."



She nodded. "OK, thanks Nick. I appreciate the advice."



"And Amy, one more thing. Whatever you do, try not to show fear or
nervousness outwardly. Vampires respect an individual who holds her ground,
even though they can tell you are nervous or scared."



"How can they tell that?"



He grinned. "We can hear your heart beating faster than normal."



Her eyes flew open wide, as she comprehended his statement. "I think you and
Natalie and I are going to need to sit down and go over the finer points of
what vampires can and cannot do after you get back from the honeymoon."



Nick put his arm around her shoulders and they started walking toward the
house. "That's probably a good idea. But right now, you have your debut in
OUR world to make. Are you ready?"



She nodded and they approached the house and walked up the steps to the
door. Amy squared her shoulders and took a deep breath.



Part 81



Natalie and Sarah pulled in to the driveway after Nick and Amy had already
gone inside. Sarah had been trying to learn more about the beautiful and
aristocratic woman in the back seat. She had learned that Janette and Nick
were both originally from France, and that they had been adopted by Lucien
LaCroix, which explained why a man so young had adult children. Something
still didn't seem right to her, at a subconscious level, with the family
ties the three of them had.



However, she had known Natalie for over twenty years, and trusted her
sister-in-law with her daughter's well being. She had been somewhat relieved
when she learned that Nick's immediate family was planning on relocating to
Seattle shortly after the wedding. She was very comfortable with Nick, and
knew him to be a principled and compassionate man. The fact that he and
Natalie had a long history together, regardless of the years of separation,
was reassuring to her maternal paranoia.



As she turned off the engine and the three women exited from the car,
Janette turned to Natalie.



"Do I hear an Irish jig playing, Natalie?"



"Yes. It's a surprise for Nick. In April we down the Gorge and we stopped at
the Edgefield Inn. He had a great time dancing to a Celtic band they had
playing there, so I thought he'd like having the same type of music for the
open house." Her eyes were sparkling with anticipation to see Nick's
reaction.



Sarah turned from one woman to the other. She didn't hear any music, and had
no idea that the vampires had supersensitive hearing.



"Really Nat? What's the Edgefield Inn?"



Natalie proceeded to tell them about the getaway she and Nick had while they
walked into the house.



Natalie felt the warmth of Nick's love wash over her, like a gentle wave, as
she walked closer to the house. The bond that they shared was one of pure
emotion, although sometimes she would get snatches of actual thought or
brief mental images, but mostly she could tell Nick's moods and his general
state of mind. She could sense that he was pleased at seeing old friends,
proud of Nikki and Amy, and just a bit nervous about the mortals mingling
with the community members.



They walked into the house, chatting. Natalie would know only a small
handful of the people there, as she had only invited a few select friends to
the open house. She walked in and saw LaCroix holding Nikki, talking to some
of the vampires she had met from Seattle, including Gwyn, Vassili, Landon
and Jillian. She walked over to them, hugging each in turn. She turned to
Nikki.



"Hi Pumpkin. Have you met everyone?" Nikki's small face was lit up and she
nodded. "Did you know that all these nice people helped Daddy break the
spell he was under?"



Nikki's eyes went wide and she looked at the four adults. "You DID? Thank
you!"

They all laughed, including LaCroix. Natalie pulled Sarah forward and
introduced her. The mortal woman was vaguely uneasy, but ignored the
feeling. They talked about the rescue, and she got some more of the details
about Nikki's kidnapping.



Part 82



Natalie felt a gentle touch on her mind from Nick, an unspoken request for
her to join him. She excused herself and followed the tendril of love to the
family room where Nick was speaking to two people in their early sixties,
obviously mortal. He felt her approach and reached out a hand to her.



"Natalie, I'd like to introduce you to a dear friend of mine. This is Lily
Topfler Hausmann, and her husband Franck. I met her a long time ago in
Berlin." Natalie held out her hand, remembering the story of the German
family Nick had helped escape East Berlin in the sixties. He had told her
about almost finding an ancient book that was supposed to contain a cure for
vampirism. LaCroix had destroyed the book, but Nick had remained friends
with Lily. She was one of only a handful of mortals alive that knew Nick's
nature.



"Lily, I'm so happy to meet you. Nick has spoken of you highly." She smiled
warmly at the woman before her. She could see that Lily had been lovely in
her youth. Her face was still attractive, with large dark eyes and a playful
smile on her mouth.



When she spoke, she had a lovely soprano voice with a gentle lilt. "Natalie,
Nicholas has told me quite a bit about you over the years. He was in Germany
a few years ago and we met to catch up. I am so happy you were able to
overcome your problems to be with one another. I know he loves you very
much. And he tells me you have a daughter? How old is she?"



The two women discussed the joys and frustrations of children while Nick
spoke to Franck in German. He could understand English fairly well but didn'
t have his wife's fluency.



Natalie excused herself to go mingle with their guests. She did have a few
friends from Canada that she expected to see, mainly some old friends from
medical school; unfortunately neither she nor Nick had felt comfortable
inviting any of their old friends from Toronto, although they had sent
announcements. She also wanted to check out the vampires present to see if
anyone from the Toronto community had managed to make it.



She went out into the backyard where the caterer had set up a buffet. Tables
and chairs were scattered around the yard with candles in hurricanes dotting
them, and the soft night air was punctuated by the sound of Irish music. She
wandered, heard a familiar heartbeat and walked over to Roy, sitting with
the boys eating. They were obviously almost finished as the Michael was just
eating the last bites of a cookie.  Roy smiled when she walked up.



"Hi Nat. How was the rehearsal?"



"It went really well. I think Amy and Sarah liked the venue. Nick's sister
and father were there, and I think they were a bit overwhelming for Sarah.
It took me years to get to know and understand them both. Amy did great."



She sat down with them for a few minutes, making sure that they didn't feel
isolated. At that moment, Landon and Jillian came over and Natalie
introduced them. Landon started talking baseball with Michael, and Jillian
started asking Bobby about his favorite subject in school. Before being
brought across, she had been a schoolteacher and still enjoyed the chance to
talk to young children. Knowing they were in good hands, she got up to walk
around some more and meet with more guests.



Part 83



Her keen hearing heard a woman laughing and she grinned, and she headed over
to the sound. A slender woman with short dark hair turned around and saw
her.



"Nat!"



"Angela! You made it!" She reached the group of people that had been talking
and realized it was her classmates from medical school including her
roommates Angela and Susan. Hugs went around to the five classmates,
including Rob Johnson, who was Sarah's cousin.  They all commented on how
happy Natalie looked, the lovely house, and finally Angela asked about Nick.



"So, where's the groom? I've been hearing about this guy for over fifteen
years. And where's Nikki? She was barely toddling the last time I saw her."



Natalie smiled and sent a tendril of love to Nick with a request for him to
join her. She sent another to LaCroix, who was still shepherding Nikki
around. Natalie good-naturedly answered questions about Nick and Nikki. A
few minutes later Nick walked up and put his arm around her waist and kissed
her cheek.



She turned and kissed him and then introduced him to her former classmates.
She started with Angela, who was her closest friend from the past.



"Angela, this is my fiancé Nick." Nick smiled at her and turned on his
charm.



Angela had always been the flirt of the class in school, and she had been
attracted to and dated handsome men. Although not an envious person by
nature, Natalie had always harbored a bit of an inferiority complex around
Angela. The look she saw on Angela's face upon meeting Nick banished all the
insecurities and petty jealousies she had ever felt. She knew that Nick
loved and adored her, and no one else. And she could tell that Angela was
stunned by the man snuggled up to Natalie. There was more than just a
handsome face looking at her; he exuded an almost palpable charisma.



Nick held out his hand to her, and instead of just shaking it, he brought it
to his lips for a genteel kiss. He could sense her heart beating a bit
faster, and smiled. He knew Nat's insecurities and was willing to put on a
little extra panache for his beloved's sake.



"Angela, it truly is a pleasure to finally meet you. Natalie has told me so
much about you." He dropped her hand, and she was still flustered.



Natalie was grinning as she introduced Nick to Susan, Rob, Mark, and Adam.
He shook hands with all of them, smiling and answering questions.



Just then Nick felt the presence of his master, and turned to see LaCroix
bringing Nikki, still in his arms, over to the gathering. Nick reached over
and took Nikki, kissing her cheek. She put her hands around his neck and
giggled.



Natalie turned to her guests. "This is Nick's father, Lucien LaCroix. And
that little imp Nick is holding is our daughter, Nikki."



Rob and Angela had both met Nikki, but none of the others had. The guests
exchanged small talk with LaCroix, engaged Nikki in questions and admired
her dress.



Part 84



Nick and Natalie wandered off to greet more of their guests. The night sky
was completely black and the vampires were starting to arrive. Alma had set
up a bar in the kitchen and was serving bloodwine and cocktails. Nick and
Natalie went in and each grabbed a bloodwine, then went to stand near the
door to greet incoming guests.



As they stood talking to Jillian and Landon, Nick turned when he saw a
familiar face walk through the door. He excused himself to go greet the
handsome vampire that had just come through the door, carrying a briefcase.
He held out his hand to the dark-haired vampire.



"Aristotle! I am so glad you were able to come."



"Why Nicholas, I would not miss this momentous event. I have some of the
documents we discussed earlier. Is there somewhere I can put this until
later?"



"Of course. Let me get Natalie, just one moment."  Nick grabbed Natalie's
hand, and excused her from the Seattle vampires. He led her over to where
Aristotle was standing.



"Nat, this is an old friend of mine, Aristotle. Aristotle, this is my
fiancée, Natalie."



Natalie smiled at the vampire and could feel his age. He was about the same
age as Janette was counted, around one thousand. She took his hand. Nick had
told her that Aristotle was the individual that created new identities for
vampires when they moved on.



"It's a pleasure to finally meet you. Nick has told me about you."



"Likewise my dear. Your reputation in the Community precedes you. I am glad
you have finally joined our society."



"Aristotle, Nat, let's go upstairs to the study." Nick led them up the steps
to the second floor and into their shared office. Aristotle put his
briefcase on the edge of the desk and took out several manila envelopes and
handed them to Nick.



"Nicholas, these are the documents you requested. After the wedding, if you
have about thirty minutes, we can go over the specifics."



Nick took the documents and locked them in the hidden safe installed in the
closet. Aristotle left his briefcase in the study and they headed back
downstairs to mingle some more.



Part 85



As the midnight hour approached, the children started becoming sleepy. Nikki
was still bright and sparkling but her cousins were both tired. Amy and
Sarah took them upstairs to Nikki's room, where Nick and Natalie had set up
two cots for the boys. They were put to bed and then Amy and Sarah came
down.



Nick and Natalie had spoken to all of their guests, and decided to take a
few moments to themselves. Natalie took his hand and led him outside. He
heard the distinctive sound of a penny whistle, and put his arm around
Natalie as they walked closer to the sound. A portable dance floor had been
set up, and some of their guests were dancing, including Landon and Jillian.



Suddenly Nick's eyes went wide as he noticed a familiar face on the dance
floor, and glanced at the band, a wide smile playing on his lips. He leaned
down to whisper in her ear.



"Is that Colleen on the dance floor and Steve and the band from the
Edgefield?"



She grinned and nodded. "I thought you might enjoy having them here tonight.
I also invited Colleen and Steve to the wedding tomorrow. And, I've been
practicing. Will you join me on the dance floor?" Her eyes were sparkling
with challenge as they stepped onto the floor just as the players segued
into a different tune. Nick grabbed her hand and led her onto the floor.
They started dancing, and soon the other dancers moved apart, realizing it
was the hosts on the floor. Hands started clapping, feet started stomping
and Nick and Natalie began a reel. Colleen watched, a big smile on her face.
She was very glad that Natalie had invited them to come to play, as well as
attend the wedding the following evening.



As the night wore on, the mortal guests left in ones and twos. Arthur went
back to his own apartment in the Hawthorne district to give Sarah and Roy
the guest room for the night. Nikki started falling asleep around two, and
Amy called it a night after she, Nick and Nat had put Nikki to bed, a smile
on her face. Natalie had decided to spend the day of the wedding at the
Elysium without Nick. He had been unhappy about the idea, but she felt
strongly that she wanted to follow the tradition of Nick not seeing her
before the wedding. Her belongings were already packed, and the dress had
already been delivered to the club. Nikki, Amy and Sarah were going to stay
at the house until late afternoon when they were going to join the rest of
the bridal party at Janette's apartment.



The vampires started departing around three in the morning, until only
Janette, LaCroix, Landon, Jillian, and Aristotle remained. They sat in the
family room enjoying bloodwine, Nick with his arm around Natalie.  They had
started discussing the fact that Nick's family was moving to Seattle after
the wedding. Nick looked at Janette and smiled.



"Well, Natalie and I have talked about it and it looks as if I'm going to
try being a night club owner."



Janette beamed in delight. "Splendid! We can work on the legalities after
you return from your honeymoon."



Aristotle grinned, having known Nick and his family for many centuries. He
had known of Nick's situation in Toronto after almost killing Natalie. He
had been sad for the loss Nicholas had suffered when he was forced to leave
a life that had given him more satisfaction then any other he had lived in
the last three centuries, in no small part due to the petite auburn-haired
woman now resting her head on his shoulder. The fact that she was now a
vampire ensured that Nicholas no longer regretted his life or nature. He
wondered if Natalie would continue research to make them mortal again. He
mentally shrugged, just glad to see Nicholas at peace with himself, his
family and his nature at long last.



Part 86



As the night wound down, the guests began to leave, going to their various
accommodations. When it was just the immediate family left, Nick and Natalie
went upstairs to get her overnight bag. They closed the door after
themselves, and Nick took Natalie in his arms for a passionate kiss.  Nick
broke the kiss and pulled Natalie's hair aside to expose her pale neck.
Knowing what was coming, she bent her head to the side so that Nick could
have better access to her throat. She felt his fangs slide gently in and the
erotic suckling begin. She growled deep in her chest in sensual pleasure.
Images of Nick's life in Toronto entered her mind, along with the feelings
of love and the despair he had suffered in the intervening years apart from
her. His joy at finding her and their link forming as she came across to be
with him for eternity. In the space of a few seconds she was encompassed
with a love and passion that had found expression after almost eight
centuries of loneliness. Her body shuddered in orgasmic delight as his love
enfolded her.



Nick pulled back and licked her neck. He raised his hands to cup her face,
leaning forward to place a gentle kiss on her lips.



"After tomorrow, you will be mine forever and I will be yours. I love you,
my dearest Natalie." His whisper was husky with love and longing.



She smiled and caressed his cheek with her hand. "And I, you. I'll see you
tomorrow. Take care of Nikki." She grinned and Nick chuckled.



He pulled away from her, and then turned to pick up her overnight bag. They
headed downstairs, where Janette was waiting to take Natalie back to the
Elysium for the remainder of the night and day.  They embraced and shared
one last kiss before parting.



Nick's eyes followed them until they were no longer visible at the edge of
the trees lining the driveway. He sighed and went back to the bedroom,
swearing that after the wedding Natalie would never leave his side again.



Part 87



The sun began to climb below the horizon on Saturday, June 28, and Natalie
woke up from a deep and restful slumber just before Janette came in to
awaken her at 6:00 PM. She chuckled at Nick's reaction when she had told him
she planned to stay at the club. But the fact that the club was walking
distance from the wedding site had been a deciding factor. She got up,
pulled on a robe and went to take a shower. They had the garden from 8:00
on, but the wedding itself was scheduled to start at 9:30. The wedding
coordinator was helping supervise the arrival of the florist and musicians
since Natalie would be getting ready, and the daylight would just begin
fading.



Natalie went to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of blood, pouring
herself a full glass, which she finished in just a few minutes. She poured
another glass and went to take a shower, hoping that it would help relax
her.



Muttering to herself, "Nat, get a grip. This is a formality." didn't work as
well as she had hoped.



The phone rang, and Janette brought it to Natalie just as she was stepping
out of the bathroom.



"Natalie, it is your bridegroom." Janette's voice held more than a note of
amusement. "Your NERVOUS groom." She handed the phone to Natalie.



"Hi Nick. What's up?" Natalie's voice was upbeat and laced with amusement.



"I just wanted to talk to you. I missed you last night." A plaintive note
was in his voice. Natalie chuckled.



"I missed you too, Nick. But after tonight you're stuck with me for
eternity. So, did your tux arrive safely?"



"Yes. It's gorgeous. Amy should be by with Nikki in about half an hour.
Nat.I love you. I just wanted to hear your voice."



She smiled. "Nick, I love you too. I'll see you at 9:30.  Bye."



She put the phone back in the cradle, a smile on her lips. She could hardly
believe that today was the day she married Nick. Her very own knight in
shining armor. She walked back into the kitchen where Janette was sitting,
drinking her own meal and perusing the Oregonian. She looked up when Natalie
came in, a smile on her face.



"Good evening. How are you feeling?"



Natalie smiled. "Apparently not as nervous as Nick."  Janette chuckled.



"Nicholas has always been a creature of intense emotions, as I'm sure you
have surmised by now."



Natalie nodded. "Oh, trust me, I know."



Part 88



The two women chatted for a few more minutes until they heard the slamming
of a car door and the approach of three human heartbeats up the steps,
including Nikki. Natalie went to open the door for her family and Nikki
bounced in.



"Mama! Can I see your dress? Please?" Natalie picked her daughter up and
kissed her.



"Of course. I'm going to be getting changed in a little while. Why don't you
show me YOUR dress?" Nikki nodded and Natalie set her down. Nikki grabbed
Amy's hand and dragged her down the steps to get their dresses from the car.
Sarah and Natalie smiled as they looked at each other, seeing the
camaraderie between the two cousins. Natalie walked over to Sarah and put
her arms around her.



"Sarah, I promise to take good care of Amy."



Sarah smiled and nodded. "I know, Nat. It's just so hard to see her all
grown up. I know Richard would have been proud of her." A tear glistened in
her eye for just a moment before she looked away.



Natalie felt a wave of sympathy for Sarah. She knew that Sarah loved Roy and
their sons, but she also knew that the love she had felt for Richard was a
once-in-a-lifetime love, such as hers with Nick. Other than her brief
relationship with Tony there hadn't been anyone in her life after she met
Nick.



Sarah looked at her and smiled. "Hey, this is your wedding day. And you and
Nick have waited a LONG time for this. Let's go get you ready!"



Natalie laughed and threw her arm around Sarah's shoulders and led her to
the kitchen where she had some coffee brewing and light snacks for her
mortal family. The girls came back up the stairs carrying the three dresses
that they would be wearing for the wedding. Sarah went over to Amy and took
the garment bag containing her dress and looked around for somewhere to hang
it. Natalie led them to the second spare bedroom, which had been arranged
for the bridal party. A hair stylist and makeup artist were coming over at
7:30 to put the finishing touches on the bridal party.



They walked into the spare room where Amy was just finishing hanging up the
dresses. Nikki was carefully fingering the folds of her own dress, a smile
on her face. Natalie walked over to her and knelt down.



"Do you like it, Pumpkin?"



Nikki nodded. "Yours is so PRETTY Mama. You're going to look just like a
fairy princess!"



Natalie smiled and gathered Nikki in her arms. "So are you, Sweetie." She
kissed Nikki as her daughter squirmed in her arms.



"Mommy!" Natalie laughed and put her down.





Part 89



They went into the living room where Janette, Amy and Sarah were sitting,
talking, and laughing. Natalie joined them, Nikki on her lap. They were
waiting for the makeup artist and hairdresser to arrive, and Sarah was
entertaining Janette and Amy with tales from her early years in Toronto. She
groaned when Sarah told the story of Natalie at her own wedding to Richard.
At the reception, Natalie had had a bit too much to drink, and had started
flirting with the best man.who was gay, although Natalie had honestly not
known that when she threw her arms around him and tried to kiss him.



Natalie groaned and hid her face in Nikki's hair. She had hoped that
particular incident had been long forgotten. She had been twenty-four, and
had gone through a rather wild phase when she moved to Toronto, going out
every weekend night or free night from the hospital. Medical school had been
a very serious time for her, and she had made up for the long hours when she
finally started making some money.  For a while Richard and Sarah had been
worried about her.



When Natalie found out about her actions at their reception after having had
too much wine, she settled into a more sedate lifestyle, much to Richard's
relief. Two years later she had met Nick, and both Sarah and Richard had
hoped she had found happiness. Richard's subsequent death had hit her hard,
but she had tried to honor his memory by keeping in touch with his wife and
daughter, and supporting Sarah when she married Roy eight years ago.



"Sarah, did you HAVE to tell them about that story? I'd almost managed to
forget it." She smiled as she protested, which only made Amy and Janette
laugh more.



Just then the two vampires heard the slamming of a car door and a trunk
opening. Knowing that the only people that would park in the back of the
building had business inside, they surmised it was the makeup artist and
stylist. Janette glanced at Natalie and smiled, just as they heard the chime
of the back door. Nikki jumped off of Natalie's lap and ran to the door
leading down the steps to the back of the club. Amy got up and followed her,
calling to her young cousin to slow down.



The older women stood up, waiting. Natalie would have her hair done first,
then the bridesmaids.  Soon there was enough sound and movement on the steps
up to the apartment that even Sarah could hear the approach, and Nikki
talking loudly to the two women that Janette had contacted to help Natalie
and the bridal party with the preparations for the wedding.



Part 90



Across town, Nick was pacing back and forth in his bathrobe, waiting for the
sun to go all the way down. LaCroix as well as Roy and his sons were all up
and getting ready; the mortals were eating dinner in the kitchen. LaCroix
made Roy vaguely uncomfortable, even though he was very comfortable around
Nick.  He attributed it to the cool façade of immense self-confidence the
man exuded. Obviously he cared for Nick, and was well known to Natalie.
Nikki adored him, and the affection he had shown his son's stepdaughter had
helped assuage some of Roy's discomfort. There was just something about the
suave man that set his nerves on end.



There was a knock on the master bedroom door and Nick went over to open it,
sensing LaCroix on the other side of the door. He opened it, glancing
askance at his sire. LaCroix walked in and glanced around as Nick began to
pace again.



"Nicholas, calm down. You are strung as tight as a harp string. What has you
so agitated?"



Nick ran his hand through his hair, disheveling it. "I don't know. I'm just
nervous. What if something goes wrong? What if she changes her mind at the
last minute?"



LaCroix rolled his eyes. "Nicholas, what could possibly go wrong? She is a
vampire, so she is not going to suddenly sicken and die. Even if she was hit
by a car she would be fine in a few hours. And the notion of Natalie
changing her mind is preposterous. You are making a mountain out of a
molehill. Relax. You should enjoy this day."



Nick grinned. "I guess I am worried about nothing. Thank you LaCroix.
Sometimes everyone just needs to voice of reason." He glanced at his watch,
and saw that it was seven-thirty. "This evening is just dragging. I thought
it would go quickly."



LaCroix chuckled. "It will once you actually get to the wedding. Now, do you
want me to do my duty?" Nick glanced at him, puzzled. "The ring? "



Nick's puzzlement cleared up and he grinned. He walked over to the bureau
and pulled the small jeweler's box out of the top drawer. He took the box
over to LaCroix and handed it to him. LaCroix opened it, not sure what to
expect. Natalie still wore the sapphire and diamond ring Nick had given her
when he left Toronto, and had kept it as an engagement ring. The ring
nestled in the box startled him. He had been anticipating a simple band, but
the ring in front of him was anything but simple. A wide solid gold band, it
was adorned with two rampant lions facing each other flanking a large inset
emerald cut diamond of at least a carat. Marching along the side of the band
were raised maple leaves with tiny rubies inset in the middle of each leaf,
alternating with raised fleur-de-lis holding sapphires centered within each.
LaCroix recognized the symbolism of the de Brabant lion, the Canadian maple
leaf and the French fleur-de-lis.



"Well Nicholas, this is quite stunning, although not at all what I
 expected." He looked up at his son.



"Both Natalie and I wanted something that represented the past as well as
the future. My ring is similar with a sapphire as the main stone instead of
the diamond, and has diamonds in the center of the fleur-de-lis. We had them
custom made by a jeweler in Tacoma that Arthur knows."



LaCroix shut the box and put it in his pocket. He left to change into his
tuxedo and wait with Nick for the limousine that was arriving at eight.
After he left, Nick went over to the closet and pulled out his tailored
tuxedo. He started getting dressed, smiling in anticipation to see what
Natalie would be wearing.



Part 91



Nine o'clock arrived, and the deep violet sky shone moonless, the gentle
diamonds of the stars studding the night sky as color faded slowly to black.

A vintage black Mercedes limousine pulled up in front of the festively
Garden of Awakening Orchids, and the chauffer got out of the front seat to
go around and open the door.



Nick and LaCroix exited the antique vehicle, looking at the front entrance
of the garden. The large entry gate was lit and imposing, yet also serene.
The four posts of the triple arch gleamed. Paper lanterns were strung along
the outside of entry courtyard the walls, and recessed lamps lighted the
entrance.



There were several people milling around, who had never seen the garden and
were taking in the splendor of the scene. As Nick and LaCroix approached,
the guests looked at the groom and best man, stunned at the debonair figures
they both cut. Nick was wearing a black cutaway jacket with a sapphire blue,
double-breasted vest underneath. His crisp white wing tip collared shirt
just showed under the spread of a silvery-gray ascot secured with an elegant
diamond stud. His pants were a subtle tone-on-tone black stripe. LaCroix's
tuxedo was almost exactly the same, with the exception of his vest, which
was charcoal gray paired with solid black pants, and his trademark sword pin
at his throat.



Nick heard several mortal heartbeats, including Lily and her husband. He
moved toward the sound, seeing her still-lovely face surveying the
inscription on one of the columns. He stepped into her view and she turned
to look at him, a warm smile on her face and her dark eyes wide with wonder.



"Oh Nicholas, this is an amazing place! How did you find it?" She hugged
him, and then blushed as he brought her hand to his lips in a genteel kiss.



"Natalie loves this place. She said she read about it when it was first
built and came to visit it, and that it was one of the few places in the
world that she has felt at peace when we were separated.  It reminds me of
the Suzhou garden in Beijing. I spent several years in a similar place long
ago, and it has happy memories for me." He squeezed her hand, leaned forward
to kiss her cheek and pulled back. "I need to go get ready. I'll see you
after the ceremony?" She nodded. "I've told Arthur to make sure you and
Franck have a place close to the front of the Pavilion." He turned to
Franck, saying a few words of greeting in German before shaking his hand,
then left.



LaCroix was patiently waiting for Nick near the small black door that led
into the Courtyard of Tranquility, again lit by lanterns and recessed
lighting. Nick felt a quivering of tension in the pit of his stomach,
realizing that on this night he joined his soulmate for eternity in front of
friends and family. The sheer magnitude of the event brought a tear of joy
to his eye. He quickly quelled it. A feeling of peace and humble gratitude
descended upon him, filling him. He closed his eyes, briefly, and tendered a
prayer to God in his mind, thanking Him for the joy bestowed upon him. Just
for a brief second, he thought he felt a tender benison touch his soul. He
shuddered with the hope that perhaps, somehow, he was being forgiven in part
for all his transgressions of the last eight centuries.



Part 92



He opened his eyes to glance at LaCroix, and smiled. For his own part,
LaCroix felt a stirring of fear in his soul. For just a moment, he had felt
a quiver of something of immense power touch his bond with Nicholas. His
hooded gaze alit upon his son, and he saw an expression on Nicholas' face
that was unreadable but full of serenity. He could feel his son's emotions
completely, and there was no longer any doubt, nervousness, or guilt within
him.



"Nicholas?"



Nick smiled. "Come, LaCroix. It's time for me to seal my destiny with
Natalie. And, although I haven't said this in many long years, thank you for
giving me the chance to be here."



LaCroix's eyes widened in shock. It had been centuries since Nick had
accorded him thanks for the dark gift of his vampirism. Unable to speak, he
inclined his head, and Nick's eyes sparkled at the sight of his sire caught
in a moment of unrest and confusion.



Nick turned and walked through the courtyard onto the terrace of the Hall of
Brocade Clouds, lost in a memory of centuries past, of witnessing another
marriage of a young woman to a nobleman in China. He sighed, knowing his own
wedding would be a much happier affair. He gazed out at the calm waters of
the pond, noting the hundreds of floating candles on the surface of the calm
water, joined by the faint reflection of the stars in the still mirror of
the water. He inhaled and smelled delicate scents of fruit trees and
flowers.



People, both mortal and vampire, were beginning to take their places. Arthur
and Landon were carefully escorting the mortals to the walkway leading to
the Pavilion, ensuring that they would be close enough to hear the vows the
couple would be exchanging. The vampires would range behind the mortals,
their ultra-sensitive hearing allowing them to hear the words the he and
Natalie would use.



Starr met Nick and LaCroix at the walkway that led out onto the pond and the
Pavilion, her green eyes sparkling.



"Ready, Nick?"



He nodded. She walked forward, her long black dress brushing the ground as
she preceded the groom and his best man.  Nick followed her, LaCroix a regal
presence behind him, their link strong. He felt a surge of deep affection
and pride from the man who had embodied father, protector, nemesis, enemy,
brother, master, and friend for eight centuries.



They proceeded along the covered walkways that led around the pond, through
the building known as "Flowers Bathing in Spring Rain", stepping onto the
pathway that finally led to the Pavilion. Arthur had already shepherded
guests to the far side of the small pagoda, ensuring that mortals were near
the front of the standing group.  Roy and his boys were just inside the
Pavilion, waiting for the bridal party. Lily and Franck were just beyond
them, with Colleen and Steve behind them. Members of the Community were
behind the mortals.



Part 93



Before Nick and LaCroix, a double row of additional people lined the walkway
spanning the small lake, and they stood aside as the elegant vampires, led
by Starr, walked through them to the center of the Pavilion. In the
background, a small chamber orchestra played softly from the terrace in
front of the Tea House. Glass hurricane lamps holding brightly shining
candles lined the railings along the walkway at regular intervals. Nick
could feel the tingle of Nat within his mind, as well as the resonance of
Janette with her. He looked over toward the Tea House, knowing that Natalie
and her bridesmaids would appear from the two-storied structure.



As they waited, the orchestra was silent for a few moments, and then began
to play "Canon" by Pachelbel, as the bridal party walked out onto the
terrace behind them, and continued around the covered walkways leading to
the Pavilion. Nick could see Nikki leading, her measured steps and bright
smile showing. She strewed rose petals from the basket she held, sequins on
her light-blue dress reflecting the light from the candles in the lake and
along the walkway rails. Nick smiled as he watched her see him and start to
wave, checking herself as she walked toward him. A huge smile was plastered
on her face, her long dark hair crowned by a tiny wreath of flowers.



Behind her came Amy, dressed in a long, straight, silk off the shoulder
dress. The blue topaz necklace she wore was the exact color of the dress and
reflected the light from the candles. She carried a bouquet of white roses
and lilies. Her hair was pulled back in a chignon, with a few tendrils
hanging around her face. She smiled at Nick and LaCroix as she followed a
few feet behind Nikki.



Sarah approached, wearing a dress identical in cut to Amy's, although the
color was just shy of royal blue. A sapphire necklace encircled her neck,
her bridal gift from Nick and Natalie. She smiled as she followed her
daughter. She looked younger than her forty-five years, and Nick absently
could hear Roy's heartbeat speed up slightly at the sight of his wife
looking so charming.



As Nikki reached the Pavilion, she walked straight to Nick, who reached down
and grabbed her hand. She smiled up at him, her blue eyes sparkling at the
magic of the evening. Amy and Sarah were approaching the Pavilion, the music
lending their steps a grace all the guests took note of.



When both Amy and Sarah were on Starr's left, Janette made an entrance. Nick
caught his breath. She was still one of the most beautiful women he had ever
met, and he could tell by the heartbeats and indrawn breaths around him that
most of the people around him agreed with his opinion. Her deep sapphire
blue dress bared her pale shoulders, and the diamond necklace at her throat
reflected the light, as did the subtle play of sequins across the front of
her dress. The bouquet of white roses she carried made a startling contrast
to her dark dress. Her dark hair was piled atop her head, and she smiled
with a secretive curve of her lips as she walked toward the bridal party.
Her innate grace drew the attention of the entire crowd, and Nick heard one
of the musicians falter as he caught sight of her. He felt a tendril of
affection from her as she stepped onto the walkway and started toward the
Pavilion.



Part 94



With a flourish, the orchestra completed their rendition of the Canon. There
was silence for several seconds before Natalie stepped into sight of her
family, friends and her soulmate. A trumpet sounded, and the strains of a
triumphant refrain echoed across the water. Some of the guests vaguely
recognized the strains as the instrumental section from Dan Fogelberg's
"Longer".



Nick's jaw dropped and he had to fight a tear of joy and awe as he looked at
his bride. Nick recognized the cut of her dress instantly, and knew Janette
had designed it. It was modeled after a medieval French cotehardie. The
dress was just off of Natalie's pale, slender shoulders, creating a gentle
arc baring her neck and collarbone. The bodice was fitted tightly to her
slender torso, flaring out gently at her hips; long fitted sleeves encased
her arms.  Around her waist she wore a slender silver link belt with
diamonds glinting along its length. The fabric of her dress was white with
an iridescent overlay of lace in silver and shades of blue. Small clear
sequins sparkled as she moved. Her auburn hair was loose down her back, and
with a jolt Nick recognized the silver hairpiece she wore. It was a simple
silver circlet, with a molded fleur-de-lis in the front, and three others
spaced evenly around it. It was the circlet Janette had worn the night she
had seduced him and LaCroix had brought him across.  A gossamer veil of
silver netting cascaded over her hair and down her back, framing her face.
She looked like a princess from the far past, and Nick knew that he had
never seen a more beautiful sight.  She carried a single white rose in her
hands.



As Natalie approached the Pavilion, the crowd was hushed with respect for
the beautiful woman approaching. The music reached a soaring pinnacle, then
silence as she finished walking the last few feet to meet her destiny. Nick
reached out his right hand for her left, his other hand still holding Nikki'
s. As his fingers met Nat's, a jolt of electricity passed between them, and
he felt an answering spark from her as she smiled and looked deeply into his
eyes. She handed her rose to Janette, who took it and laid it on the rail
between two candles.



Silence reigned for several seconds as the couple gazed into each other's
eyes, their deep love a living thing that could be sensed by those around
them, mortal and immortal alike.



Starr spoke in a deep voice that carried over the still waters.



Part 95



"Friends and family, we gather her today to witness and share in the joining
of Nicholas and Natalie as they pledge their love for and lifelong
commitment for each other. Nick and Natalie have chosen to write their own
vows, but before they begin, I would like to say that I have rarely seen a
truer love. It is my honor and pleasure to join these two people in
matrimony."



She turned to Nick. "Nicholas, do you pledge your life and heart to this
woman for now and until death?"



"I, Nicholas de Brabant, do pledge my life and heart to my love, Natalie
Lambert Knight."



Starr turned to Natalie. "Natalie, do you pledge your life and heart to this
man for now and until death?"



Natalie smiled. "I, Natalie Lambert Knight, do pledge my life and heart to
my love, Nicholas de Brabant."



Starr beamed. "Nick and Natalie, by what tokens and words have you chosen to
pledge your commitment one to the other?"



Nick dropped Nikki's hand with a wink to her and turned to LaCroix, who
handed him the ring for Natalie. Turning back to her, he lifted their joined
hands to his lips.



"Natalie, mere words cannot begin to describe my joy at finding us at this
moment in time. For untold years, I searched for you, not knowing what I
sought. I almost lost you once I had found you, and I swear to you by that
all that I am, all that I have, and in front of our friends and families
that my heart and soul are within your keeping, from now and into eternity.
I promise to love, honor, cherish, and protect you and our daughter." He
glanced down at Nikki who grinned at him. He looked back at Natalie and slid
the ringer onto her finger. "With this ring, I thee wed."



Natalie, fighting very hard to keep tears from coming to her eyes, ducked
her head as Nick slid the ring onto her finger. She turned slightly toward
Janette, holding out her right hand to receive the ring Janette pulled off
of her thumb. She turned back to Nick and took a deep breath.



"Nick, never in my wildest dreams could I imagine the life and love that you
have given me. Until I met you, I didn't know the magic and wonder the world
could hold. You have had my heart since the first night we met. There has
never been, and never could be, another man who gives my life so much
meaning, so much joy, and above all love. When I lost you, I thought I would
never live again, that my life would be an empty shell. I can only say that
the depth of my despair has made my joy at finally joining my life with
yours for eternity deeper and richer. I am yours, body, heart, mind and soul
from this day forward." She slid the ring onto Nick's hand. "Nicholas de
Brabant, with this ring I thee wed."



Nick and Natalie clasped hands and turned to face Starr, who continued the
ceremony.



Part 96



"As Nicholas and Natalie have pledged their eternal love one for the other,
so have they joined their families." She looked at Nikki. "Nikki, do you
accept Nick as your father?"



Nikki grinned. "Yup." There was a ripple of laughter among the crowd. Nick
ruffled her hair.



Starr turned back to the couple. "Do you have family here that witness your
vows of love and faithfulness? Nick, who speaks for you?"



Nick and Natalie turned toward LaCroix. He stepped forward, the candlelight
illuminating his marble features.



"I, Lucien LaCroix, witness the joining of my son with Natalie, and accept
Natalie, Nicole, and her family within my own. I swear to honor and protect
her as I do my son." He looked at Janette.



She stepped forward. "I, Janette du Charme, pledge my love and support to my
new sister Natalie, Nicole, and the members of her family. "



Starr nodded and turned to Natalie. "Natalie, do you have family to speak
for you and witness your vows?"



She nodded and turned to Sarah and Amy. Sarah stepped forward. "I, Sarah
Lambert Matheson, witness their vows and accept Nick and his family within
our own." She looked to Amy.



"I, Amy Ilyana Lambert, bear witness to the joining of Nicholas and Natalie
and pledge my love and support of them and welcome their family to my own."



All eyes turned back to Starr. She raised her voice. "Is there any person
here who denies the claims of love and acceptance of Nicholas and Natalie?
Speak now or nevermore." Silence reigned for thirty seconds. "Then, by the
power invested in me and my office, I know declare Nicholas and Natalie wed
in body and spirit, according to the laws of Oregon and witnessed this day
by one and all." She smiled and looked at the couple. "You may now kiss the
bride."





Nick took Natalie in his arms and kissed her long and deeply to the cheers
and applause of the assembled guests. Both of them fought to keep their eyes
and fangs under control.



As they pulled apart, Nikki beamed and declared, "It's about time!"



The crowd laughed once more as Nick swooped Nikki into his arms. "You're
absolutely right!" He tweaked her nose as the crowd parted once more to let
the family walk back the way they had come, laughter and conversation
following them. The orchestra started up a sprightly piece as the wedding
party and guests moved back toward the Tea House for the reception.



Part 97



As the guests started drifting toward the Tea House, a chorus of "ahs" and
"ohs" sounded as the structure was suddenly lit by dozens of paper lanterns
along the outside eaves, and a warm glow filtered through the filigreed
wooden screens. Nick and Natalie entered the magnificent building, walking
over to the table where Alma was serving drinks. Nick put Nikki down and
reached a hand out to Natalie. He took her right hand and raised it to his
lips, love and joy coursing along their link.



Alma had a glass of blood wine ready for each of them, and Nick reached over
to take them, thanking her. He handed one glass to Natalie and brought his
own to his lips. They gazed at each other over the rims of their glasses
just as Nikki sighed melodramatically.



Natalie looked down at her daughter. "Yes, Sweetie?"



Nikki frowned. "Mommy, I'm thirsty too, you know!" Nick turned away and
choked, hiding his laughter at Nikki's very adult exclamation.



Natalie smiled. "Well, perhaps Alma has something special for you if you ask
her nicely, hmmm?"



Nikki turned to Alma, who had a smile on her face. "Alma, may I please have
a drink, too? Please?"



Alma nodded and held up one finger for Nikki to wait. She bent down and came
up with a can of ginger ale, and proceeded to make Nikki a Shirley temple.
Nikki's mouth was an "O" when Alma put it in a plastic champagne glass and
handed it to her. Nikki took it carefully and sipped it. The bubbles tickled
her nose but she grinned. "Thank you!"



Alma smiled. "You're very welcome. Let me know when you want another one,
and I'll make it for you, if it's ok with your Mom?" She glanced at Natalie,
who nodded.



They turned to go just as Bobby and Michael came into the building, heading
toward their cousin. Nikki showed them to the refreshment table, where Alma
made Shirley Temple's for the boys. Roy and Sarah followed their sons,
holding hands. They approached the newlyweds, and Sarah hugged Natalie while
Roy shook Nick's hand, congratulations going around.



Nick and Natalie made the rounds, receiving congratulations and well wishes
from their guests for the next thirty minutes. Vampires and mortals sidled
up to the bar for drinks, the mortals continuing to the table set in the
corner with elegant finger food and appetizers. The guests who had not been
at the open house the previous evening introduced themselves to friends and
acquaintances. Janette and LaCroix mingled with the vampire community,
spreading the word that Nick would be taking over ownership and management
of the Elysium, taking his place in the Portland community as the residing
Elder. LaCroix and Vassili also let it be known that they would both be
available to the Seattle contingent in the coming weeks as Gwen moved on to
her new life.



Part 98



Nick and Natalie were sitting down for a moment, talking with Lily and
Franck. Nick was speaking with Franck in German, Lily was asking Natalie
questions about the design of her dress and the Garden in general. Starr
approached the table where the couples were seated, a leather folio in her
hands. She cleared her throat.



"Nick, Natalie, we need to fill out the marriage license and get signatures
from the witnesses."



Excusing themselves from Lily and Franck, they clasped hands and went to
seek out Janette and Arthur for their signatures. They had decided on the
two vampires since they were in essence the only other two family members
with legal, local, US residences and identities. As Nick and Natalie signed
their names followed by Janette and Arthur, Starr carefully noticed that
Nick's signature wasn't consistent with his vows, signing the document
"Nicholas B. Lambert".   She had also noticed that Natalie had declared her
vows under the name "Natalie Lambert Knight" and that her niece's name was
Lambert. Curiosity was thrumming in her as the two witnesses signed the
document then wandered away. She signed her own name, then shut the folio.
She would file it on Monday. There was a mystery about the couple and their
families and friends that niggled at the back of her mind. She shook her
head absently then left the garden to put the folio in her car for
safekeeping.



Part 99



At ten thirty, Arthur started unobtrusively shepherding guests to the patio
for bridal toasts and dancing. When almost everyone was outside, either
standing or seated around the tables spaced around the perimeter of the
terrace, the orchestra gave flourish, the signal for LaCroix and the rest of
the bridal party to begin toasts. Vampire wait staff had been passing around
glasses of white and sparkling red wines to the appropriate guests. LaCroix
stood in the center of the courtyard, waiting for the crowd to notice him.
It didn't take long, and the bridal party drifted over, glasses in hand, to
wait for the imposing General to speak.



When all attention was on him and silence greeted him, he looked out over
the assembled guests, then began speaking, the light from candles and
lanterns casting shadows on his pale face.



"Today we have the privilege of joining my son, Nicholas, and his bride
Natalie as they have exchanged their vows of marriage. For those of you that
know my family, you are aware of the hardships they had to overcome to find
each other. In all the years that I have watched my son grow and mature,
never has anyone brought him such joy and happiness as his new wife. It is
my deepest honor and joy to welcome her and Nicole to my family. I raise my
glass to the eternal happiness of Nicholas and Natalie." He lifted his glass
and looked at the couple. A murmur of "Nick and Nat" sounded through the
crowd.



Janette stepped forward and kissed Nick, then Natalie on the cheek. She
turned to the onlookers and smiled enigmatically. "When Nicholas met
Natalie, I was sure she was not good enough for my little brother." A ripple
of laughter sounded through the crowd. "However, as I have come to know her,
I begin to understand that there is no one else in the entire world that
could have given to him the joy and happiness that she has. She has endured
the pain and loneliness of separation from him, as well as his own
self-doubts and the tender mercies of my family to be here today. She brings
to us not only the warmth of her own personality, but also the bright spark
of her daughter. I have known the joy and love she gives to Nicholas, and I
am proud to call her my sister from this moment forth." She raised her
glass, as did everyone else.



Natalie hid her face in Nick's shoulder, embarrassed by all the attention.
He turned his head to kiss her temple as she lifted her head to look into
his eyes.



Part 100



Sarah stepped forward, glass in hand. "I have known Natalie for more years
than I care to count. For those of you that don't know, Natalie is my
sister-in-law from my first marriage.  I have been blessed with the love of
two amazing men in my life, and children to love and nurture. Natalie is one
of the finest people I have ever known, and my heart is full of nothing but
joy for her and Nick. It has been a long road they have traveled, and I
welcome Nick and his family to ours, and thank him for bringing my sister
the happiness she deserves." She raised her glass and took a drink.



Finally, Amy stepped forward. The gentle glow of candles and the lanterns
illuminated her lovely face, and foreshadowed the woman she was fast
becoming. "Aunt Natalie, you have always been there for me, especially after
my dad died. You've given me love, advice, and shared memories of a family I
would have never known, if not for you. You have been an inspiration to me,
and the example that you have set has hopefully made me a better person.
Nick, I'm just beginning to know you, but I see someone that I am proud to
call a member of my family. I only hope that one day I can meet someone as
wise, kind, and good as you, who loves me as much as you love Nat. Welcome
to the family!"



She raised her glass, and Nick walked over to embrace her. "Thank you, you h
ave no idea what your words mean to me," he whispered in her ear, then
kissed her cheek.



LaCroix raised his glass once more, and his stentorian voice rang out. "To
Nick and Natalie, health and happiness forever!" The words rang once again
as everyone echoed his words and drank once more.



Nick turned to Natalie, putting his arm around her waist before speaking.



"Both of us would like to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for
joining us here tonight. Seven years ago, unfortunate circumstances caused
me to leave Natalie. For those long lonely years, half of my heart and soul
were missing." He looked lovingly into her upturned face, then back to the
assembled guests. "Losing her taught me how precious a gift our love is, and
being here, tonight exchanging our wedding vows is the beginning of a life
of love and joy." He kissed her gently then pulled away. Curious glances,
Natalie among them, followed him as he walked over to the keyboard set up in
a corner and sat down.



Part 101



He started playing and singing a love song that touched every heart and left
few dry eyes in the audience.



Just to look in your eyes again

Just to lay in your arms

Just to be the first one always there for you

Just to live in your laughter

Just to sing in your heart

Just to be everyone of your dreams come true



Just to sit by your window

Just to touch in the night

Just to offer a prayer each day for you

Just to long for your kisses

Just to dream of your sighs

Just to know that I'd give my life for you



For you for the rest of my life

For you all the best of my life

For you alone, only for you



Just to wake up each morning

Just to have you by my side

Just to know that you're never really far away

Just a reason for living

Just to say I adore

Just to know that you're here in my heart to stay



For you for the rest of my life

For you all the best of my life

For you alone, only for you



Just the words of a love song

Just the beat of my heart

Just the pledge of my life, my love, for you



As the words died down, he continued playing a different tune. He raised his
voice slightly. "Natalie, I'm not much of a songwriter, but I composed this
melody for you as a wedding gift." He launched into a gentle piece that
embodied his love for her, his respect and knowledge that their relationship
was a precious gift. Everyone felt the depth of his feelings for his bride
in the stirring song. When he finished, thunderous applause greeted him.
Natalie walked over to him and kissed him passionately as the guests cheered
them good-naturedly.



They broke their kiss, arms still around each other, and Natalie knew it was
her turn to make a speech. She turned toward their guests.



"I have nothing to say that could possibly be any more heartfelt or true
than everyone else has already said. Thank you all for coming, and sharing
the most incredible moments of my life with me." She turned to gaze at Nick,
speaking sincerely to him, everyone else forgotten. "You are my life, my
hopes, my dreams. I will never let us be parted again. My heart and soul are
bound to yours forever. I love you." Once again, he leaned down and placed a
tender kiss on her lips. They broke apart just as the orchestra returned and
started warming up.



Part 102



Arthur stepped forward and hugged the newlyweds, then walked over to the
microphone that had been set up by the orchestra. A few delicate notes
sounded, then without preamble, he began singing in a rich tenor as Nick led
Natalie into the center of the crowd and they began waltzing to the strains
from Phantom of the Opera.



Nighttime sharpens, heightens each sensation

Darkness stirs and wakes imagination

Silently the senses abandon their defenses



Slowly, gently, night unfurls its splendour

Grasp it, sense it, tremulous and tender

Turn your face away from the garish light of day

Turn your thoughts away from cold unfeeling light

And listen to the music of the night



Close you eyes and surrender to your darkest dream

Leave your thoughts of the life you knew before

Close your eyes, let your spirit start to soar

And you'll live as you've never lived before



Softly, deftly, music shall surround you

Feel it, hear it closing in around you

Open up your mind, let your fantasies unwind

In this darkness which you know you cannot fight

The darkness of the music of the night



Let your mind start a journey through a strange, new world

Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before

Let your soul take you where you long to be

Only then can you belong to me



Floating, falling, sweet intoxication

Touch me, trust me, savour each sensation

Let the dream begin, let your darker side give in

To the power of the music that I write

The power of the music of the night



You alone can make my song take flight

Help me make the music of the night.



The mortals in the crowd were puzzled by the choice of bridal dance for the
newlywed couple, but the immortal guests smiled at the appropriate choice.
But each and every person present felt the love and commitment of the couple
moving before them, wishing them a long and enduring happiness. The
celebrating continued into the night, the magic of the night a memory that
no person present would ever forget.



~fin~